


Paved With Good Intentions

by NoxyHart



Series: The Good Intentions Trilogy [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Blood and Gore, Explicit Language, Gay Sex, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Partial Nudity, Repressed Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-30 02:37:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 40,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15087158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoxyHart/pseuds/NoxyHart
Summary: Gabriel faced down Crowley and won but there came a price. Dean has become a half demon. Was it an accident or the work of the King of Hell? Not able to handle the changes Dean runs away leaving them to scramble to find him. What truths will Crowley reveal to Dean about his new condition?





	1. Running Away

**Author's Note:**

> The sequel to 'Means to an End'. Enjoy! 
> 
> Disclaimer: Don't own it. If I did I would enjoy having the Trickster around

**Chapter 1: Running Away**

_He was staring out the window watching as the waves crash against the shore below and he knew something was wrong. Everything was quiet. There was no sound. Nothing at all. He hadn't heard anything since he woke up. He remembered the explosion of sound as he and Crowley were thrown apart. It had been far too loud. With a growing sense of dread he realized that he was completely deaf now. That last explosion had been too much for his already fragile hearing. No more music, no more talking with Sam, no more joking with Gabe, no more sounds of pleasure from Cas. It was all lost to him._  
A sudden touch made him jump and he felt something shift in him. He frowned and turned to look at whoever was touching him. Cas was there but he was staring at Dean, first with a look of horror and then it turned to hatred and his blade was in his hand and pointed at him. Sam, who was behind the angel, had grabbed his gun and it was also pointed at him. He backed up not knowing what was happening but feeling that something was very wrong.  
"Guys...What are you doing? It's me!"  
The both said something at the same time so it was impossible for him to pay attention enough to read either of their lips. He backed up and as he did he caught sight on himself on the mirror on the wall. There was traces of blood around his mouth and his ears and it trailed down his neck. Most likely blood from losing his hearing completely. His eyes however weren't their normal green color. It had changed and was now a solid black. He knew those eyes. Demon eyes.  
He reached up and touched his face, not understanding why this was happening and not really believing what he seeing. Why was he showing signs of being possessed? He didn't feel possessed. He pulled down his shirt and noticed that his tattoo was still in place. As long as it was intact he couldn't be possessed. So why were his eyes black? Why was this happening?!  
He turned to look back at his mate and brother, who still had their weapons raised at him. Trying to quell the panic he reached out to his bond with Cas and touched it only to see Castiel flinch and have their bond slammed closed so hard that it had him gasping and clutching at his chest in pain. Castiel took a step towards him and Dean couldn't stop himself from screaming. His angel was going to kill him!  
Dean woke up gasping, feeling the cold sweat covering his body. It was a just a memory of what happened when he first woke up. He had screamed as Cas came closer, certain that his soul mate was going to smite him. He had screamed for Gabriel and the archangel had appeared. He sent Sam and Cas away and took the time to examine him before jumping to conclusions. Somehow he had become a half demon. When Gabriel broke the news Sam had nodded and seemed determined to find a way to fix this mess. Castiel had just looked at him and walked away without saying a word. That had hurt.  
Looking around Dean felt his heart jump into his chest when he realized that he wasn't outside in the cliff side hut but inside. Looking around in the light of the full moon he realized that he was in the guest room laying on the bed with Sam on one side of him and Cas on the other. Taking a deep breath he was relieved to see that he hadn't woken either of them. They looked so peaceful that he knew that there was only one thing he could do. He had to leave. It was the only way to protect them from himself.  
Leaning down he kissed Sam first then Cas whispering just how much he loved them before carefully getting of the bed. He wasn't surprised to see Gabriel was sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed. He draped a spare blanket over the archangel and dropped a kiss on his head apologizing for what he was about to do. He carefully slipped out of the room and down the hall to Gabriel's room.  
Trying to be careful with his movements he began searching the room for his keys. The archangel had taken them after explaining his condition to him. He didn't want Dean to try to do anything stupid. Carefully opening a drawer he cursed his predicament. He hated not being able to hear. He had no idea how loud he was being or if he was going to wake anyone. With a small growl to himself he closed the drawers of the dresser he had been looking in. A sudden movement in the mirror caught his attention and he whirled to find Razael standing in the doorway to Gabriel's room.  
The archangel held up a familiar set of keys. "Looking for these Dean?"  
"That depends." The hunter said, his green eyes locked on the keys to his car before flicking back to the angel. "Are you going to give them to me or am I going to have to fight you for them?"  
Razael let out a chuckle. "Despite what you may think of me, Little Brother, I do care. Come on. Follow me."  
Dean was confused but he followed the taller angel downstairs and into the basement. The hunter was a bit shocked when Razael opened the locker containing his gear. Gabriel had taken it all after telling Dean that he was a half demon, worried that the hunter might try to end his life. He pulled out the bag and tossed it at Dean's feet and the brunette opened and checked the contents, pleased that it was all there. He heaved the bag onto his shoulder and followed the angel back upstairs.  
Razael turned to face him so the hunter could read his lips. "I'm not going to stop you from leaving Dean but I do want you to think about what you're doing. Gabriel is trying to help you."  
"I know he is but it's taking too long. Look at Cas. He's losing weight and I don't know how I know but he's weaker." Dean said. "I'm not rushing blindly into this. I have a plan. I've been making it ever since he told what I've become. I've had three months to think this over."  
The angel was silent for a long time before he sighed. "I can tell that you aren't going to be swayed. In that case all I can do is try my best to do what I can. If you don't want anyone to be able to follow you I suggest you not use the card mother gave you. Same thing for the cell phone you have. You can take my spare card and phone. It's an untraceable number and you can only make calls you can't receive them. Text messages you can do both with. If need anything at all just call my name." He said passing Dean both a card and cell phone. "I don't think I need to tell you just how dangerous this is for you do I? You are a deaf hunter."  
Dean switched out the card in his wallet and his cell phone. "Yeah I know. I won't be hunting though. Not actively. I'm still a target though."  
"Exactly. Send me a text message every night okay? I want to know you're safe."  
The brunette nodded. "I will. Thank you Razael. This means a lot to me. Just..."  
"I'll keep an eye on them. Promise."  
The eldest Winchester nodded but he still hesitated. Seeing the paper and pens on the counter he decided that he would pen three quick messages. One to Sam saying that he was sorry for walking out on him but this was something he had to do alone. The second went to Gabriel, thanking him for all that he had done. The last went to Castiel and in it Dean apologized for everything. He told the angel how much he loved him and that he was sorry for running but he was only doing it to protect him. When he was done Dean thought about leaving his necklace but it made his heart hurt too much. Folding each letter he marked them for who there were intended and set them up against the vase that held some flowers.  
With that done Dean nodded and hefted his bag a bit higher. He headed outside, grateful that the garage that housed his Baby was far enough away from his house that it hopefully wouldn't wake anyone. He slipped inside the garage and quickly opened the trunk and place the gear inside before sliding into his beloved car's driver seat. He started her up with a sad smile. She roared for him, and he was glad to be able to feel her even if he couldn't hear her. He pulled out of the garage and stopped to take one last look at the house.  
"I'm sorry guys. I need to do this." Dean whispered before pulling away.  
As he headed into the tunnel he remembered what Gabriel told him about it being able to take anywhere. Not knowing what else to do he thought about heading to Bobby's but wasn't sure how to explain what was going on. Hell he'd probably end up stuck in a trap. Still it was better then nothing. Suddenly almost without thinking about it he changed his mind and gunned it going into the tunnel. He came out the other side driving through his hometown. He pulled into the first motel he found and checked in.  
Grabbing his duffle he headed to room seventeen and opened the door. Throwing his bag on the bed he decided that a shower and change of clothes were in order first before trying to get some more sleep. He grabbed a clean pair of boxers out of his bag and turned to the bathroom only to freeze. Crowley was standing between him and the bathroom, a grin on his face.  
"I was wondering when you'd come looking for me Dean." The demon said with a smile. "I was starting to worry that I might not see you again, being kept hidden away in whatever safe house that six winged freak owns."  
Dean let out a growl and his eyes turned black. "You bastard."  
Crowley's smile grew at seeing the hunter's eyes change. "Now that's more like it. Black is a good color on you. Think we can get your soul to match it?"  
"You did this to me didn't you?" Dean snapped, grabbing his gun.  
"Yup. That would be me." The Scotsman said, his grin growing. "I have to say that I'm impressed. I didn't think it would actually work and yet here you are. Amazing. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen you with my own eyes."  
"Start talking or else I'm going to start shooting." Dean said, pulling the hammer back on his gun.  
The King of Hell feigned hurt. "Now why would you want to shoot me? I'm being nice."  
Dean's expression turned to one of disbelief. "You're joking right? You turned me into a fucking demon you asshole!"  
The demon held up a hand with on finger raised. "That's not entirely true. I didn't give you that much. You're only half demon. You have the Moose's wonderful archangel to thank for the other half."  
The hunter hesitated, his gun lowering slightly at the new information. "And just what in the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
Crowley frowned. "So you don't know then? I figured he would have told you. Then again he might have decided to overlook it with all the protections he's put in place on you. It is there though. I can feel it. It's like the sun's warmth on a cool day."  
Dean raised the gun again. "Feel what? The bullet I'm about to lodge in your skull?"  
There was a sudden smirk that came from the demon. Dean realized what was going to happen and began to squeeze the trigger. The gun went flying from his grasp as he hit the bed. A weight settled on his chest and his arms were pinned at his side. While he knew he was stronger then he was before Dean knew there was no way he could get Crowley off of him.  
He glared up at the brown eyed demon sitting on him. "Do I look like a piece of furniture? Get off asshole."  
"You want me to explain things don't you?" The Hell King asked sweetly. "Then you'll be a good boy and sit there and listen."  
After a few more minutes of futile struggling he realized that he had no choice so the hunter nodded. "Fine. You get your wish. I'm listening."  
Crowley smiled and reached down and patted Dean's cheek as if he were a child. "Good boy. Now as you know four months ago was the blue blood moon."  
Dean stiffened. "No it was three months ago. It had to have been." Realization dawned on him that he hadn't bothered to find out how long he'd been out after that battle; he'd been too upset by his new condition. "I was out for a month."  
"Looks that way don't it?" Crowley said softly. "You see I had been planning on using this vial of my blood and feeding it to your brother but that stupid angel ruined that plan real quick. But imagine my surprise when in you stroll glowing just like him. It was enough to make a demon like me weep for joy. So I saw my chance to make the prophecy come true and took it. An archangel bore me a child. And a son at that! I couldn't have asked for more."  
Dean shook his head. "No he didn't. Gabriel's not pregnant. He's at home with Sam."  
The Scotsman gave him a funny look. "Seems like Gabriel is keeping a lot from you then if you don't know this either. Guess he doesn't trust you enough."  
The hunter had enough and he began to twist and buck, trying to dislodge the demon before he said anymore. "Get off me! I'm tried of your games. As soon as I get my gun back I'm going to give you a new hole to breath through."  
With a snarl Crowley grabbed the brunette's chin and forced their eyes to meet. "Gabriel adopted you as his son. By angelic law that makes you his human born angel son. A small piece of his Grace resides in you as does a small drop of his blood. I'll give you three guesses what that means."  
Dean froze, there was no way that could mean what the demon was implying. "You're lying."  
"Nope. Gabriel did indeed give me a son as unintentional as it was." Crowley said getting off the hunter. "He brought me you."  
"I'm not-I can't be!" Dean denied, because he knew that Gabriel would have told him something that important.  
"Want me to prove it?" Crowley said pulling out his gun and firing before Dean could reply.  
The hunter hissed in pain as the bullet skimmed his arm just below the elbow. Having been shot before he was expecting the burn. What came as a shock was the soul searing pain that shot through his chest like a bolt of lightening. He screamed and grabbed for the wound. Crowley was there and healing it before he could blink but the ache remained for a few minutes.  
Catching his breath Dean shoved the demon away hard. "What the hell did you just do to me?"  
"Angel bullets. Kills angels. Hurts doesn't it?" Crowley asked as he made sure the hunter's arm was properly healed. "That would be that small piece of angel in you reacting."  
Dean rubbed his arm and willed the ache to go away as he remembered what he had been told about the prophecy and why Crowley wanted a child in the first place. "I'm not helping you. I already started the end of the world before and it's not something I feel like doing again."  
"Not even if I can turn you back?" The Scotsman said looking down at him. "Because I can. It's my blood in you. I can turn you back into a human if you help me. Purge the blood."  
The eldest Winchester couldn't help but think about Castiel, about the hate in the angel's eyes he had seen there, being directed at him. "I..."  
Crowley reached out a put a hand on top of his head, treating the hunter like a child once more. "This is a lot to take in. Why don't you take a few days and think about it? I'll make sure you're taken care of in the mean time."  
Dean nodded, not really caring; there was too much happening at once.  
"If nothing else Dean, think of the perks that come with being my son."  
He shook his head at that, confused as to what the demon was implying now.  
Crowley gave him a big smirk. "You are the son of the King of Hell. That makes you the Prince of Hell. All of Hell will bow before you now. Enjoy your newfound fame and power."  
The demon vanished leaving the hunter alone. Dean sat there for several minutes thinking over everything he had been told. He had been adopted by Gabriel. He was now Gabriel's son. He had a small piece of Grace in him. He had been turned into a half demon by Crowley. He was now the son of the King of Hell. He was the Prince of Hell. All of Hell would bow to him.  
Dean put his head between his legs and just focused on breathing. He felt like he was going to pass out. His vision darkened slightly and his stomach churned painfully. This was too much to handle. This was worse then he could have ever dreamed of it being. Standing on shaky legs Dean rushed into the bathroom and made it to the toilet just in time to start violently throwing up.


	2. An Overdue Bonding

**Chapter 2: An Overdue Bonding**

Sam poured himself another cup of coffee as he looked over the counter at Gabriel. With a sigh he looked down at his letter and read it once more before going back to fixing his coffee. He had been woken by the sounds of arguing. He had come downstairs to find Gabriel and Razael screaming at each other but damned if he could understand any of it. He heard Dean's name mentioned several times and each time it was, Gabriel just seemed to get angrier. It had ended suddenly with Sam being yanked backwards by Castiel and wrapped in the angel's wings just as a bright light and ringing filled the house, an angel's true form.  
Sam had thanked Castiel when the angel released him and then went to see what the fight was about with the dark haired angel trailing behind him. Gabriel, luckily, hadn't left and was staring at the spot where Razael had been but he didn't seem mad anymore, just pensive. It was then that Sam noticed the paper that was crushed in the archangel's hand. Moving closer he recognized the writing on the paper to be Dean's. He reached for it but the blonde had just pulled away.  
"Dean's gone. He left sometime last night. Razael let him go. He left us all letters." Gabriel said before going to sit in his favorite chair, placing the crumpled letter on the table next to him.  
Sam had watched as Castiel had all but snatched up his letter and read it. Sadness had rolled off the angel in waves. He picked up his own letter and read it, cursing his brother for his stupidity. He and Castiel exchanged letters and Sam wasn't surprised by what Dean had written to his mate. That just left Gabriel's letter but the archangel had refused to give it up. So that was how he and Castiel ended up making coffee and waiting for the blonde to say something more but having already been waiting for three hours Sam wasn't too sure if that would happen any time soon.  
"I can't believe that Dean would leave. I just cannot seem to understand why he would do such a thing." Castiel said softly, almost startling him. "Doesn't he know that we still love him and want him with us?"  
"Dean left because he thinks he protecting us." Sam said. "I don't think our initial reactions helped our case at all. Dean probably thinks that we can't handle him being a demon and went to try and find a way to fix it."  
Castiel frowned. "Gabriel promised Dean he would help him."  
"My brother has a very low patience. Three months probably felt more like three years to him." Sam said with a sad smile. "He misses us."  
"I miss him as well but I would rather he have stayed here." The angel said. "It's not safe for him to be out there without his hearing."  
"Dean isn't the only deaf person in the world Cas. Most deaf people can get along fine without help." The brunette said with a chuckle. "What Dean did though? Him running away? He did it with the best of intentions Cas. He just wants to be fixed so he can have his family back."  
"Haven't you ever heard the old saying 'The path to Hell is paved with good intentions' Sam? There does happen to be a reason for that." Gabriel said suddenly. "Sometimes those 'good intentions' have the worst possible foundations that they been built on. This? This is one of those times."  
Sam frowned and his green eyes sought out Gabriel's gold. "You've been awfully quite. What did he say to you in his letter?"  
"I wasn't concerned with what he said in his letter." Gabriel admitted. "I was thinking about what Razael said. I realize now that he was right and that there was a lot that I should have told Dean. If I had then maybe he would have stayed instead of running. Now the shit is really going to hit the fan."  
"Gabriel?" Sam asked.  
"My selfish wants have put your brother into a lot of danger Sam. I didn't just take the keys to the Impala for fun. It was actually for Dean's own protection. This was the safest place for him until I could find a way to purge the demon blood from his system." Gabriel said softly. "I did something that I thought would make Dean very happy but with him waking up both deaf and as a half demon I didn't want to tell him. Now because I did something with good intentions I have put Dean at risk."  
"What did you do?" The youngest Winchester asked. "I doubt it was anything bad."  
"No. Not Bad. Not really. I adopted Dean. At the time I did it I didn't know Razael was alive. I wanted another child and Dean admitted that he wished he had a parent." The archangel sighed. "It seemed like a win-win. I was going to tell him as a surprise. Now...Now we need to find a way to change him back before Crowley gets his claws into him."  
"Why would Crowley want Dean?"  
"Because with the demon blood in him it makes him Nephilim." Castiel said suddenly. "Dean is half demon half angel."  
"Wait what?" Sam asked. "I don't know if you remember this but our parents were human. No angel at all. I think we'd know something like that."  
"When an angel adopts a human it gives them a small piece of Grace. It's so small that it doesn't hurt them but it still makes them part angel." Castiel said. "So right now your brother is the one thing that every supernatural thing in every world fears."  
Sam frowned and thought about it before a stray thought occurred to him. "So if Gabriel made Dean his son by giving him his Grace does then same thing account for demon's giving their blood and if the answer to that is yes then-"  
"The answer is yes. To both parts Sam." Gabriel said softly. "Crowley was able to have a child by me as unintentional as it was."  
Sam felt numb. His brother was now the one who could break down the walls of the worlds. The son of Crowley and Gabriel, the King of Hell and The Fourth Born Archangel. Dean was going to be in a lot of trouble unless they could find a way to help him. Sam idly wondered if maybe he should give Bobby a call and see if he had seen Dean and inform him of what had happened. Then again that might not be the best idea in the world. Bobby saw them both as his sons and the last he wanted was to have the older hunter upset. With a sigh Sam took another sip of his now cold coffee.  
"Do you have a plan Gabe?" Sam asked softly. "I need my brother back."  
"I do. I just need to take a trip. I don't really want to go alone but I can't take you with me and I am not leaving you here by yourself." Gabriel said looking down.  
"Why can't you take me?" The hunter asked. "Afraid I'll get hurt?"  
"No. I need to go into hell. I need to talk to Lucifer. The only thing that would protect you if I took you along is a soul mate bond. We've made some progress Sam but I don't think you've made nearly enough. I'd go alone but I don't think I could trust myself enough which is why I was going to take Cassie. That would leave you here unprotected. And after the fight Raz and I just had I don't think I'll be seeing him for a few weeks." The archangel said as he stood from his chair. "So now I just need to-"  
"I want to."  
Gabriel blinked and turned to look at the red faced human. "What?"  
Sam's flush darkened. "I want to complete our bond. I know this isn't the best time but I've been trying to bring it up for a while. I want to complete our bond so that I can go with you. I don't like the thought of you seeing Lucifer after the stories you've told me. So...Please."  
Gabriel chuckled and turned to look at Castiel, who was watching them curiously. "Do you mind waiting an hour or two? Just until the bond settles?"  
"I do not mind. It is best for you to have an active connection before going to hell. A few hours will not make that much of a difference at this point. While you two bond I will go and inform Bobby of what has happened in case Dean tries to contact him." The angel said standing. "With any luck Dean will have talked to Bobby and we can get a clue where he was going to go."  
Gabriel nodded. "Just be careful okay Cassie? You might be the only person who can sway Dean at this point."  
Castiel nodded and spread his wings and was gone with a gentle flap. Gabriel went over to the cabinet and pulled out the two herbs they would need. He turned and appraised Sam for a minute. It was clear that the hunter was not really ready to take the next step but wanted to do it to protect him. Smiling to himself he figured that the best thing to do was to give Sam what he wanted but with a twist. It was the best thing for the hunter.  
"Here. Take these up to our room and light them and get ready. There's something that I have to look for in the bathroom real quick okay?" Gabriel asked, handing the herbs to his soon-to-be mate.  
Sam nodded and took both and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before disappearing up the stairs. With a chuckle the archangel followed at a much slower pace. Heading into the bathroom he reached into the bottom draw and found what he was looking for. Catching sight of himself in the mirror he hardly recognized himself. He couldn't remember ever seeing such a smile on his face. Then again he'd never had a partner like Sam either.  
His train of thought slammed to a screeching halt. He thought over his past relationships with his male partners and frowned at the conclusion he came too. Glancing down at the tube he decided to make this as painless on Sam and possible and took care of the messy work himself before redressing and heading into their room. Sam was laying on the bed, a pillow on his lap and he looked nervous. With a grin Gabriel stripped out his own clothes to join him, tossing the pillow aside as he went.  
"You know I just had an interesting revelation about you Sam Winchester." Gabriel said as he kissed the hunter. "A good one."  
"Yeah?" Sam asked, curiosity running wild in those green eyes.  
Setting the tube aside for the moment that archangel took his time exploring the body underneath him. "Yeah. This bonding will be special for me in a way too. You'll be my first."  
Confusion and pleasure lit up those eyes. "I know I can't be your first male over. That was Lucifer. And you admitted to being with Michael."  
"Maybe so." Gabriel admitted, doing something that pulled a loud moan from the hunter. "But you are the first male that I will have ever willingly bottomed for."  
The brunette froze under him. "Are you serious? None of them you really wanted?"  
"What can I say? I was naive. I wanted to be loved so bad I just went with it despite the pain." The angel said softly nibbling at a hip. "At the time I thought that was the way it was supposed to be."  
"Gabriel..." How Sam wished at that moment that he could tell the angel everything he felt about him but he couldn't make the words come out.  
Gold eyes locked with green. "If I didn't think you really cared about me Sam I would never have given you my feather. I trust you completely. More then anyone I've ever been with willing or not. I thought I was in love with Luci but you don't see my feather hanging around his neck do you?"  
Sam shook his head, his hand grabbing for his necklace, a half inch feather that was laminated against a small pendant. "Am I the only one you ever wanted to give your feather too?"  
"Yes. That was why it hurt so bad..." Gabriel reached up and touched his own necklace, a matching one with the feather Sam had made for him out of his own hair. "Best not to think about that now because it's in the past and I have you here with me now and nothing is going to take you from me."  
Sam suddenly grabbed the angel and flipped them over, kissing him hard. "I love you Gabriel. Let me show you what it's like to be with someone who truly loves you."  
Sam grabbed for the tube and prepared himself before going to do the angel but he was surprised to find him already done. He may be a virgin with men but he had taken the time to learn what to expect. With a grin and a kiss he slowly sunk himself into the angel's willing body, stopping whenever he heard a sound of pain and not moving until he was sure that the pain was gone. By the time he was fully seated the angel was in tears. Sam kissed them away and slowly moved, taking the time to make sure that there was only pleasure.  
He was surprised by just how sensitive Gabriel really was but if all his encounters were pain filled then he could understand that the angel didn't have a concept of true pleasure. The angel was also very vocal. Between the screams of pleasure and the shows of affection neither of them lasted long. As they reached their completion, Sam felt something in the back of his mind give. A rush of love, affection, and wonder slipped in and it made him nearly dizzy with joy when he realized that he was getting an echo of Gabriel's feelings.  
As the angel lay trembling under him he tried try to pull away only to stop when Gabriel clung to him. He didn't need to ask any questions as a rush of 'please', 'stay', and 'contentment' echoed across their new bond to him. It seemed that Gabriel wanted to make their physical connection last a little longer. Knowing just what to do he flipped them once more, never losing the connection between them. Gabriel laid on his chest, his shaking subsiding as their bond settled into place and Sam couldn't help but tangle his fingers into those blonde locks. With a smile Sam settled down to wait for Gabriel to be ready.  
SSSSS  
"So Dean is not only a Nephilim but he's also deaf and now you can't find him?!"  
Castiel winced. "Yes. Which is why I came to ask you for your help."  
Bobby glared. "So if you're mated to Dean why can't you find him?"  
"He's closed the bond. He did it after realizing that touching it as a half demon brought me much discomfort. Since then he has kept it closed for fear of hurting me." Castiel admitted. "Please I need your help. Has Dean been in contact with you at all?"  
The older hunter shook his head. "No. I haven't heard from Dean since he called me to let me know you guys were going to a safe house for a while. That was five months ago."  
Castiel let out a frustrated noise. He had no idea where to even start looking for Dean other then here. He sat down and put his head in his hands. Turning inward he stroked his bond with the hunter, his heart heavy when there was no acknowledgment. With a sigh he came back to reality to find the older hunter staring at him hard.  
"You really love him don't you?"  
"He's my soul mate. I would do anything for him." Castiel said softly. "It was my love for him that made me chose slavery over death. Anything just to be with him."  
Bobby nodded. "Your cell phone number still the same?"  
Shaking his head the angel held out his new phone, the one Gabriel had given him.  
The hunter quickly took down the number. "Tell Sam and your brother to give me a ring too that way we can get this show on the road. There is a vast network of hunters out there and even if I don't know something then someone else will. We just need to get the word out. I'll have everyone keep an eye out for him and the Impala. I'm sure someone will know something."  
"Thank you Bobby. This means a great deal to me."  
Bobby waved him off as he picked up the phone and opened a small notebook and threw it on the desk in front of the angel. "You want to thank me? Start dialing. We have a lot of names to go through."  
Picking up the book and his phone Castiel could help but feel a small spark of hope ignite in him. With so many people keeping an eye out for Dean someone was sure to know something. He was getting one step closer to finding his mate. With a smile he dialed and the number and listened at the phone was picked up.  
"Hello?"  
"My name is Castiel. I'm calling on behalf of Robert Singer. We're trying to find someone, another hunter. He's in trouble but he doesn't know it yet and we need your help."  
"Sure! Anything for Bobby! Who are you looking for?"  
"A young man who drives a black '67 Impala by the name of Dean Winchester."


	3. Memories and Road Trips

**Chapter 3: Memories and Road Trips**

Crowley stared down at the hunter watching him sleep. It was hard to believe that after all this time he finally had a way to get what he wanted and it all was riding on the most stubborn hunter he had ever come across. His stare slowly turned into a glare as he tried to figure out a way to make Dean do what he wanted to with minimal fuss but short of threatening his loved ones, who he couldn't find, he had nothing. There was no way the hunter would ever do anything unless it was for his family.  
Dean rolled over, exposing his back to the demon. "Cas...love..you..."  
That was another problem he faced. Dean's soul mate bond with Castiel. When he first took Castiel in it had been with a plan to get them back together to make them stronger so they could easily carry out any plans he needed them for. Now it seemed that it was working against him. What he needed was a way to ensure that the bond didn't interfere with what he needed. Nothing short a a major head injury would even make the hunter forget those he loved.  
Bingo! His last train of thought had given him an idea. With a smile the demon began casting a spell, sealing away what memories that he knew he could get away with sealing. The memories were just little things that the hunter wouldn't miss, most of his childhood. Crowley smiled as he managed to lock away more they he figured he could. Everything else was far too fresh in Dean's mind for him to try. As long as he kept it up and sealed away a little bit every time the hunter was asleep then he could easily wipe Dean's mind in less then a week.  
With a growing smile he reached down and gently shook Dean. The eldest Winchester jerked awake, his hand sliding under his pillow for his gun. Crowley thought the look of confusion on his face when he realized it was missing was more then worth it. He waved a hand in front of his face and Dean turned to him with a glare.  
"What the hell is your problem asshole?" Dean snapped. "And give me back my gun!"  
"I didn't want to get shot while waking you up. It's almost noon. I thought you'd be hungry so I got you some food." The King of Hell said, making sure the he was in a position for his lips to be read.  
Dean shoved the hovering demon away. "Why? So you can poison me?"  
Crowley frowned. "You're too valuable to kill mate. I'm just trying to keep you healthy."  
Dean got out of bed stumbling slightly. He sat back down and shook his head, trying to will the dizziness away. He had the strangest feeling. It was almost as if he was forgetting something. He shook his head realizing what he had forgotten. He glared up at the demon.  
"I guess I forgot to salt and trap the room last night. If I had I wouldn't have woken up to your ugly mug." Dean said.  
"I left my hell hound outside last night to protect you." Crowley said, bringing over the foam box and some plastic ware. "Couldn't have anything happen to my only son now can I?"  
Dean flinched and stood, heading for the shower. "Don't call me that!"  
Crowley smiled as the door slammed closed behind him. "You'll be calling me Dad sooner then you think. Just wait and see."  
Sam swallowed hard as he carefully picked his way among the jagged rocks, his knife held tight in his fist. He slipped a little in a pool of something red that he didn't want to think about. Two pairs of hands steadied him and he was grateful. Something warm brushed over him from both sides and he relaxed a bit. Hell wasn't a walk in the park but he was holding up okay.  
"I'm fine. Really." Sam said to the two angels.  
Castiel nodded and released him. "I know this is uncomfortable for you Sam but this will be over soon. We do not intend to linger."  
"I'm fine really." Sam insisted.  
Gold eyes appraised him but nodded and Gabriel released him before the angel continued on at a quick pace. Sam cast a nervous glance around before rushing to catch up to his mate, with Castiel trailing close behind, his angel blade ready. They soon came to a large wide open space that seemed to drag on forever. Sam froze as he remembered this place. This was the Cage. Gabriel was staring down at it with a look that clearly said that he wanted to be anywhere but here and Sam had to agree.  
"Gabe?"  
"I'm fine Sam."  
"Liar. I'm in your head now remember?" Sam said softly.  
"Will you both be okay?" Castiel asked, his wings shifting uncomfortably.  
"We'll be fine Cassie. Promise. I'm just not looking forward to dealing with either Michael or Lucifer. Especially since they both believe me to be dead." Gabriel admitted, his own wings quivering. "Well let's get this over with. I don't want to stay down here any longer then I have too. Dean needs us to get back and soon."  
Gabriel jumped and slid down the steep cliff, his wings stabilizing him as he went and Sam couldn't help but watch in awe. For a minute he didn't see his mate as the Trickster but as the archangel he truly was. It was Castiel's chuckle that brought him back to himself. He flushed and the dark haired angel took his hand and helped him down. They made it with very little effort but the hunter still stumbled when he made it to the bottom.  
"You okay?" Castiel asked softly.  
Sam nodded and turned his gaze to Gabriel who was staring into the Cage and facing down none other then Michael, still in the body of Adam. Michael seemed shocked to see them. His eyes were trained on Gabriel's wings and his mouth opened and closed but nothing came out. Gabriel didn't seem to care but looked past his eldest brother as if waiting for something. It was only when Gabriel folded his wings up tightly behind him that Michael seemed to come back to himself.  
"Gabriel? Gabriel is that really you?" Michael asked softly.  
Those golden eyes flicked to him and then back to the Cage.  
The pain that radiated off of Michael was almost tangible at the small act. "Gabriel please..."  
The archangel stiffened but didn't look back at him.  
"Please Gabriel. Please look at me. Please say something." Michael said coming closer to the edge of the Cage.  
"Something." The archangel snapped, his body tense.  
Michael reached out of the Cage and tried to touch his brother. "Gabriel..."  
Gabriel pulled away almost violently, his wings puffing up in agitation. "Don't ever touch me. I never want you to touch me again."  
Michael frowned, his hand dropping. "Gabriel what I did was for-"  
"The needs of the many. I know. I understand. It still fucking hurt. I loved you and just used me as a way to get me to make more Ambronise and to get your rocks off. Just answer me this. Did I ever mean anything more then that to you or was I just a means to an end?" Gabriel asked, his voice cold as ice and it had Sam clenching his hand tight around his knife.  
The First Born gave him a sad look. "I always loved you Gabriel. I was just never in love with you. I'm sorry I couldn't be what you needed me to be but I did try. I tired and I failed."  
"Sorry for being a failure in your book." Gabriel snapped. "Now go find something to do."  
"It wasn't like that Gabriel!" Michael yelled, pain clear in his voice, even as he tried to grab Gabriel again. "You weren't the failure. I was. I was supposed to protect you and I failed. I failed and you changed. You weren't the same Gabriel that loved to play games and pull pranks for the fun of it. You were just a shadow of who you used to be and when you...When I found your body something inside me died. Do you know how bad that hurt?"  
Gabriel let out an inhuman sound that had the First Born flinching and Castiel pulling Sam a bit further away. "Do you know how bad it hurt to find out that you used me as fucking bait to distract Lucifer long enough to get his Cage ready? I spent twenty years dying as his play toy and I don't think for once second it ever crossed your mind as to the damage it would leave me with. So do us both a favor okay? Don't talk about hurting. You know nothing about it you selfish bastard."  
"That doesn't sound like the Gabriel that I remember." Lucifer said stepping from the shadows, his form that of his previous vessel Nick once more. "Did your death at my hands really make you so bitter, Little Brother?"  
Gabriel gave him a smile and Sam felt the angel brush softly against his mind, taking in the comfort that the hunter gladly gave him. "Hello Luci. Just the angel I needed to see. We need to talk."  
That had Lucifer tilting his head in a confused manner and Michael frowned. "You want to willingly spend time in my company? After everything that's happened between us?"  
The youngest archangel nodded. "This is important otherwise I never would have come here."  
Lucifer's blue eyes flicked over to Sam and Castiel. "Hello Sam. Castiel. It's been a while."  
Gabriel's wings shot out and blocked them from view. "They aren't here to see you. They are here to support me. Now are you going to talk to me or am I wasting my time?"  
Lucifer took a moment to appraise him before nodding. "We can talk. What do you need?"  
"I need to know how to change a half demon back into a human."  
Th devil blinked, the shock clear on his face. "Why would you need to know that?"  
Gabriel's anger was almost visible. "Because right now my adopted son is running scared topside because he's been turned into a half demon."  
"Adopted son?" Michael asked. "When did you adopt a son?"  
"The better question is why would you need to adopt a son?" Lucifer asked, his confusion clear.  
"I guess you would have forgotten since it did affect you but you took away my ability to have kids remember?" Gabriel asked softly. "Right after you ripped my only son apart before my eyes and then broke my wing and left me for dead."  
"You...You still have the binding?" Lucifer's voice sounded pained for some reason.  
Gabriel let out a huff. "Considering that you're the only one who can undo it then that would be a yes. I still bare your binding mark."  
The look on Lucifer's face was filled with a mixture of regret and heartbreak. "Just how many times did you try to have children Gabriel?"  
The youngest archangel glared. "What does that have to do with anything?"  
"Because that mark was supposed to wear down. The more you tired to have children the quicker it would wear out. Why didn't you try?" Lucifer asked. "The Gabriel I know would have kept trying."  
"The Gabriel you knew began dying when you turned him into nothing more then a sex toy. He finally died when you killed his son in front of him The nail in his coffin was when he realized that you took away the one thing that brought him the most joy in life." Gabriel said, his voice cracking. "It killed me to know that I could never have kids again so I gave up. I quit after the second time I tried. I quit trying because I couldn't stand knowing that it would never take!"  
Sam came forward and pulled Gabriel to his chest, feeling his mate's pain as if it were his own. He tangled his fingers in Gabriel's hair rubbing and whispering words of love and affection across their bond. Sam even sent pictures of him willing to bare a child for the angel if he could. The sudden rush of love and adoration nearly sent him to his knees. It was enough for Gabriel to regain his strength and force himself to face his brothers once more, this time with Sam nestled between his wings, arms wrapped tightly around his waist.  
Lucifer and Michael were both watching them shock on their faces but it was Michael that spoke first. "You...You have a mate."  
Gabriel nodded. "Yes. We completed our bond before coming here."  
Lucifer swallowed hard and looked away. "You said you need to cure your son?"  
"Yes. I adopted Dean Winchester as my own."  
If either angel had been shocked by that they didn't show it and Lucifer nodded. "You'll need a few things. One of my feathers, a piece of hair from a relative, the fang of a vampire, the skull of a holy man, poison from a djinn, and blood from a hell hound."  
"And what do we need to do?" Sam asked, not scared at all of his former possesser.  
"Take the skull and fill it with the blood. Add the fang first and then the poison. My feather and the hair must be added last and at the same time." Lucifer said.  
"And this will fix Dean?" Castiel asked coming forward. "It will heal my mate completely?"  
"Mate? Okay then you'll also need one of your feathers too. Add it at the same time as mine and the hair." Lucifer said quickly amending his spell. "That will actually help purge the blood quicker."  
Gabriel was staring at Satan hard. "Odd."  
Lucifer looked up at the single utterance. "What is?"  
"I expected to have be ready to make some kind of deal with you. Like maybe paying an arm and leg for a cure. Or maybe even another wing since you already took my firstborn." Gabriel said, his formerly broken wing twitching rapidly until Sam reached up and gently rubbed it.  
The taller angel actually flinched at that. "Gabriel what happened to your wing and with Razael...That was all an accident. It was never supposed to go that far."  
"Well it did. I lost my only child and I can never get him back." The archangel snapped.  
Michael flinched at that and looked away.  
Lucifer turned on him. "You never told him?"  
"I was going to wait until he was fully healed. By the time he was Gabriel was..." Michael trailed off. "If I had known that Gabriel was going to do what he did I would have told him."  
Lucifer glared. "And you call me evil. Since you kept the secret you can tell him the truth."  
Michael took a deep breath and nodded, standing a bit straighter to face his younger brother. "Gabriel... Razael didn't die that day. He...he was hurt very badly but didn't die. We managed to save him. It took a long time before he was able to do anything because of the damage but he's alive. Your son lives, Little Brother."  
Gabriel turned away from him. "Really? Another lie Michael? How many more do you plan to telling me? How much more pain would you like to see me in?"  
Sam sent a wave of confusion at his mate and what came back was enjoyment. Sam hid a smile in one of those golden wings. It seemed his mate was channeling his Trickster at the moment and wanted to get as much revenge as he could. He turned to look at Castiel, who had the same look of understanding as he did. It seemed that the younger angel knew what was happening too.  
Michael, however, became more upset at Gabriel's words. "It's not a lie Gabriel! Razael is still alive! I swear to you!"  
"Yeah. Just like you swore to save me too." Came the bitter response. "Lucifer I am going to need that feather now."  
Lucifer nodded as Michael seemed to deflate. It seemed that the eldest archangel was devastated by the fact that the smaller blonde refused to believe him. The devil released his pure blinding white wings and curled one around and pulled a few primary feathers out. He didn't come any closer to the edge of the Cage though making Sam frown. He sent his worry to his mate and he responded with a wave of reassurance. Nodding Sam let Gabriel go and the youngest archangel went forward to collect the feathers.  
When he reached the edge of the Cage, Gabriel held out his hand. Lucifer shook his head and made a come here motion. With a wary look and a frown the blonde slid closer, putting his arm through the bars of the Cage to reach for the feathers. With a grin Lucifer rushed forward with almost blinding speed and pinned Gabriel's arm against one of the bars and held on tightly.  
Sam went to move but Gabriel sent him a clear message to stay put. The youngest archangel knew Lucifer was just trying to intimidate him. Michael had also moved closer but seemed hesitant to interfere unless something more happened. Gold eyes locked with blue and Gabriel refused to be intimidated by Lucifer. He was not the same naive angel he had been all those years ago and he no longer feared angering him. His days as the devil's pet were long since over.  
"Let go Lucifer." Gabriel said, his voice a low growl.  
"No. Not until you hear me out and this might be the only chance I get to do this so I am going to take it. I know you won't believe me but I am sorry for what I did to you. At the time it seemed right but I know now that I had no right to take my frustrations out on you." Lucifer said softly. "I know you'll never forgive me for what I made you into but the least I can do is admit that I was wrong and that I never should have done it. I made you suffer because of my jealously and I know that it destroyed you in some way. I hope that maybe you can find the strength you need to move past it. I can only hope that you've found it in your mate."  
"Good to know." The small blonde snapped. "Now fuck off."  
Lucifer nodded and slipped his feathers into Gabriel's pocket. "There are a few extra just in case. And before you go I would like to give you my apology if I may?"  
Gabriel looked confused. "Isn't that what this is? You giving me your feathers and that whole speech wasn't the apology?"  
"No. This is."  
Lucifer's other hand came up and fisted into the smaller blonde's hair. He pulled Gabriel hard against the bars, ripping his shirt open, and smashed their lips together, splitting both of their lips open. The devil's other hand came up and gathered the bit of blood there before he reached down. Lucifer pulled back from the kiss and pressed his blood covered finger's against his younger brother's stomach and whispered a few words. Gabriel's eyes went wide and the spell went off with the force of a small explosion, sending the youngest archangel flying back and into Sam and Castiel's arms.  
Gabriel struggled to catch his breath, his arms wrapped tight around his stomach where the spell impacted. Tears fell from his eyes at the burning pain that radiated from that spot. He felt Sam wipe away his tears even as he heard someone shouting angrily and the sounds of flesh striking flesh. Taking a few moments to just breath Gabriel was finally able to relax enough that the pain began to recede. Opening his eyes he was met with Sam's worried green.  
"Gabe are you okay? What happened?" Sam asked worriedly.  
Gabriel sat up slowly with help from Sam and he looked down at his stomach, surprised to see that the runes and ink there were running off his skin like water. "The binding..."  
"My apology to you, Little Brother."  
Gabriel looked up at the Cage where Lucifer was currently pinned against the bars by Michael, with Castiel's blade at his throat. Apparently having said what he need to Lucifer shook Michael off and turned and headed deeper into the Cage. Gabriel watched him go, one hand pressed tightly against his stomach. Michael looked between his two brothers, seemingly torn between checking on them both. With a small nodded from the youngest archangel, Michael disappeared after the Morningstar.  
Castiel turned back to Gabriel with a look of confusion. "Are you alright? I feared the worst when he cast that spell."  
"It hurt worse when he put it on." Gabriel admitted. "Now come on. Dean needs us."


	4. Family Reunion

**Chapter 4: Family Reunion**

The sound of Sam's phone going off was barely heard over the sound of Gabriel gasping for air. The archangel had taken them straight from hell and back to his house. Upon landing it was clear that Gabriel has used far more energy then was planned and the angel was doubled over trying to catch his breath. Castiel, who had flown back himself, was using his Grace to try and calm his brother. It seemed that the strain of carrying Sam had been a bit much.  
"Answer...that!" Gabriel gasped out as Castiel slowly lowered him to the couch.  
Sam fumbled with his jacket pocket, trying to pull his phone out and when he finally got it out he saw that it was Bobby calling. "Bobby?"  
*Sam where in tarnation have you been?! I've been calling you for two months!*  
"Two months?!" Sam asked turning to the angels.  
"Couldn't...go back...further..." Gabriel gasped out. "To...tired..."  
"Shit! Sorry about Bobby. We had to take a trip to find a way to cure Dean." Sam hurriedly explained. "We went to hell to see Lucifer and we have a way to save Dean."  
*That's all well and good but I've got bad news.*  
"Hang on." The younger hunter said, putting the phone on speaker. "Go ahead. We can hear you."  
*One of the hunters managed to find the Impala. It was abandoned at a motel in Lawrence. I went out and picked it up myself. It's here now.*  
Sam frowned. "In our hometown? What was Dean doing there? Did anyone see him?"  
*Yeah. The florist said he came in and got a dozen white roses. Took them to your mom's grave. He was there for almost three weeks then one day he was just gone. His room was paid for for two months. And he was seen in the company of a well dressed older man wearing a dark suit.*  
"Crowley." Sam growled.  
*That would be my guess. But like I said the guy at the motel said that they were seen going into the motel room and they never came back out. All of Dean's things were still in there. It was just like he up and vanished.* Bobby said. *My money's on Crowley dragging your brother off somewhere.*  
"Thanks for the help Bobby. I'll be there soon to pick up the Impala."  
*See you soon.* Booby said before the line went dead.  
Sam turned back to Gabriel who seemed to finally be able to breath. "You okay?"  
"Yeah. I tried to take us as far back in time to the point when we left as possible. I couldn't get us there completely because the spell Luci cast used my energy as well as his. Two months was the best I could do. I'm sorry Sam. I didn't mean for this to happen." Gabriel said softly, his brow damp with sweat. "I just need a minute and we can go."  
"You need to rest Gabriel." Castiel said. "You've used a lot of Grace shielding Sam and transporting the two of you on top of the time travel. You've exhausted yourself."  
"I'm fine. Really." The archangel insisted.  
"Then I'm sure you can take us to Bobby's right now then." Sam said, glaring down at his mate, calling his bluff.  
Gabriel glared right back but with a sigh gave in. "Fine. Just...Just let me get some food and a small nap. We can't afford anymore time. It's already been too long."  
Castiel nodded. "I agree but you are no help to Dean when you're exhausted. I will go and begin collecting the ingredients. You stay here and rest with Sam."  
"Check the third cellar first. I think I have some of what we need in there." Gabriel said as Castiel vanished.  
Heading into the kitchen Sam took a moment to look through what food they had that was already made, which was quite a bit considering the archangel loved to cook. Tacos, home made pizza, chicken and potato soup, manicotti, they had it all. Know Gabriel needed to recover his strength he settle on chili, knowing the meat would help more then anything else. He quickly microwaved it and topped it with sour cream and cheese, knowing that was how the angel liked it and grabbed a spoon.  
Sam brought over the bowl of chili and passed it to his mate. "Why do you think Lucifer undid your binding? Having him in my head I doubt he did it out of the goodness of his heart."  
Gabriel patted the couch and Sam laid down letting the angel lay back against him. "Believe it or not Sam but once upon a time Lucifer did actually love me. I think him seeing me as I am now and not as the Gabriel he knew made him realize that I'd changed and not in a good way. When I faced him down and I faked my death he knew something had changed then but I don't think it hit him until I faced him down again. I could feel his pain at seeing me that cold and uncaring towards both him and Michael. The two beings that I once professed to love more then life itself."  
The hunter kissed the top of his mate's head. "So did this bring you the closure you needed?"  
"Yeah." Gabriel said softly, as he ate. "I still left a lot of things unresolved but I did get quite a bit out of my system. It was nice making them squirm."  
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I'm also glad that the binding is gone." Sam said rubbing the angel's stomach lightly. "I did mean it though. I would have carried for you if I could."  
"I know. I just don't know how to handle this right now. Maybe someday I'll think about having a child with you but right now...Too much, too soon." Gabriel admitted, placing his hand over Sam's.  
"You're right. For now eat. Then we nap and go after Dean." Sam said softly.  
SSSSS  
Crowley slipped into the master bedroom of his mansion smiling at the figure that was wrapped in the silk sheets. He went over and looked down at the sleeping hunter, pleased to see that his rest was a peaceful one this time. Reaching out he traced along the seal that was on the back of the hunter's neck. It had taken him three weeks to fully seal everything away which was twice as long as he thought it would. The mating bond had been the main reason it took so long, acting as protection for Dean's memories. Luckily enough he had managed to block the bond off without any side effects.  
Dean let out a murmur in his sleep and rolled over, the sheets slipping off to reveal a bare hip to the demon. With a smile Crowley lifted the sheet a bit and took in the site the nude body before him. He had never looked at the hunter with eyes of lust before but once the young man came with him and was under his care constantly he began to see him a bit differently. Since becoming a demon he had never bothered to look at a human as a potential bed mate before but since Dean technically wasn't human he supposed it didn't count. Which is why he kept dropping hints of what he wanted, much to the hunter's embarrassment.  
Taking one last look at the bare body he dropped the sheet, making sure that the hunter was properly covered this time. It wouldn't do for some of his minions to be tempted by the sight of his exposed son. He grinned and couldn't believe just well his plan was coming along. It seemed that wiping Dean's mind had been the best thing he could have done. The young hunter went along willingly with his plan with hardly any questions asked. At least he had once he had explained things.  
It was easy to explain to Dean why he couldn't remember anything. Angels and hunters had tired to kill him, his mate, and his family after finding out what he was. The car accident wiped his mind and killed his family and mate leaving Crowley to adopt him and train him. With Dean thinking that angels and hunters had killed his mate and family it seemed to ignite a fire in him to want to help even if it was still a fight to get him to do so. At least it was a start even if they did fight and the boy drove him mad reminding him of exactly why he hated kids.  
A groan brought him out of his train of thought and he looked down to see a pair of sleepy green eyes watching him with a glare and he couldn't help but smile at them, knowing it would drive Dean mad. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"  
"Why the fuck do you insist on watching me sleep?" Dean asked glaring up at him. "Don't you know just how creepy that shit is?"  
"Well maybe if you would sleep in your night clothes instead of nothing then I wouldn't have to protect you from such prying eyes." Crowley said, his eyes raking over the body before him.  
Dean shoved him away and got up, heading towards the shower. "I don't care what your sleezy goon squad thinks. They touch me and I'll gank them too."  
Crowley growled as he watched him go. It seemed that ever since yesterday Dean had been snappish about everything. He had even killed his best guard because the man made a comment about his attitude. It made him wonder exactly what had set him off. It wasn't as if he let the hunter out of his sight. In fact he kept him on quite the tight leash. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe the boy needed to get out and have some fun.  
The door opened to the bathroom and Dean emerged wearing nothing more then a towel on his head, drying his hair and Crowley couldn't stop the growl that left his throat. Dean was purposely taunting him now. It wasn't as if the hunter turned down his advances, if anything he flirted back but didn't deliver. Still he watched as the towel was thrown into a corner and the hunter began pulling on his clothes that Crowley had provided him with.  
Leather pants that had matched Castiel's when the angel had been his slave, only instead of being white, they were black and tied up the sides. A sheer black three quarters length shirt completed the look along with the necklace that housed Castiel's feather. Something that Crowley couldn't take without causing harm to the hunter as it was the grounding point of his mating bond with the angel.  
Crowley moved to where he knew the hunter could see him enough to read his lips. "I know you haven't gone out since you woke up from the accident and I think it's making you tense. I was thinking-"  
"That must have hurt." Dean said a smirk on his face. "The King of Hell thinking for himself? Why the common place demons would be appalled to know that you were forced to think."  
"Very funny. Do you want to go out and have some fun or not?" Crowley snapped. "Maybe play with some hunters and torment a few humans?"  
Dean looked at him with disbelief. "You serious? You'll let me go out by myself for a night? No guards in monkey suits or stinking dogs following me around?"  
The hell hound in the corner that Crowley tasked with guarding Dean raised it's head and let out a whimper, drawing the hunter's attention.  
"Sorry. You know I wasn't talking about you Fergus." Dean amended.  
The hound let out a happier noise at the apology and laid back down for a nap.  
"As long as you're careful I don't see the harm in it. Just watch yourself. Those angels and hunters would just love a chance to finish you off." Crowley reached up and brushed his knuckles across the hunter's cheek. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."  
Dean's green eyes narrowed. "You'd be shit out of luck since I'm the only one who can help you. We both know you don't really care for me and you just want in my pants. That being the case you can cut the mush."  
Dean turned away and went over to the bed and pulled on a pair of socks and his boots, black ankle high and covered with studs and spikes ran along the toe and heel. With a grin he checked himself over in the full length mirror that ran along the entire wall. Grinning he pulled on his black leather bracelets and checked again and was satisfied with what he saw. Crowley came up behind him and placed a slim back collar with his symbol on it, proclaiming Dean to be the Prince of Hell.  
"You look gorgeous. Demons and humans alike should bow to your beauty while the angels should quake when you approach." Crowley said, looking in the mirror.  
Dean gave him a glare and turned and strode from the room. With a sigh Crowley summoned several of his guards. He ordered them to keep Dean safe and to remain hidden while doing so and they nodded and disappeared after him. With a growl he knew that it was only a matter of time before Dean's little family caught up with them but he was ready. He would not allow Dean to slip through his fingers without a fight.  
SSSSS  
Castiel froze, his heart hammering in his chest, his lungs constricting, his palms sweating. He looked around, wide eyed trying to find the source of his feeling. He was dimly aware of Sam and Gabriel calling his name but he couldn't care at the moment. He had to find it! He pushed through the crowded streets cursing the festival that was taking place.  
They had gotten a lead from another hunter right after picking up the Impala that someone fitting both Dean and Crowley's description was seen, in of all the places, New Orleans. So Gabriel had rushed them down there and none of them bothered to look at the date. Thus why they were stuck in the middle of Mardi Gras. Someone bumped into him and nearly sent him to the ground if it hadn't been for the tight grip that found his arm. Almost too tight. He looked up intending on thanking whoever had saved him but he froze as he stared into a pair of cold green eyes.  
"Shouldn't an angel be a little less clumsy and more aware of their surroundings?" Came an amused voice that he knew so well.  
"Dean..."  
"So you know my name. Not surprising. I've know most of your kind are out to kill me." Dean said. "So were you looking for little old me or someone more interesting?"  
Castiel frowned and reached for their bond trying to touch it but it felt different; like someone else was in the way. "I have been looking for you Dean. We've found a way to fix you so you can come home. We miss you."  
Green eyes narrowed before they filled with black and the grip on his arms tightened drawing a pained hiss from the angel. "And what home would that be? The one your and your kin destroyed while trying to kill me? I shouldn't be surprised that you'd stoop this low just to try and kill me."  
"Dean I don't want to kill you. I miss you and I still love you. Please come home to me." Castiel said. "I need my mate."  
There was a sudden yank on his arm and the dark haired angel suddenly found himself landing on his rear in an alleyway looking up at an enraged Dean. His mind took a moment to take in the clothes and the collar his mate was wearing and it made his his heart clench. He had out an angel blade and was holding it tightly. Castiel scooted backwards, he was no match for a Nephilim. Pulling out his own blades he quickly dropped them and kicked them towards Dean, watching at the hunter raised and eyebrow at the action that left him defenseless. Castiel didn't think he would even have the heart to hurt Dean.  
"You had better start talking." Dean said kicking the blades back to him. "Why did you call me your mate?"  
"Because you are!" Castiel said.  
"My mate and family were killed by the angels and hunters that were trying to kill me!" Dean snapped, his eyes going black once more. "They're all dead."  
Tears filled his blues eyes and spilled over. "We're not dead. Sam and Gabriel are here as well. We came here looking for you! We've been searching for you ever since you left!"  
"You're lying!" The hunter said stepping forward. "They were killed in a car accident!"  
"Did Crowley tell you that?" Castiel asked, locking eyes with him.  
Dean froze. "How did you know?"  
"Because I spent a year as his slave. Gabriel spent eighteen months as his prisoner. We both know that Crowley is a lying evil monster." Castiel said. "Do you want proof that I'm tell you the truth?"  
Those black eyes faded back into green and the angel could see the hesitance in them. "What kind of proof do you have?"  
Castiel released his wings, the black feathers filling the alleyway. "It's my feather you wear around your neck. It was my response to your courting gift."  
Dean's eyes followed the span of the wings and his hand reached up and clasped the necklace around his neck. Slowly he stretched one wing out until it was only a few inches from Dean. The hunter's eyes appraised the wing and lifted the cage comparing the feathers before he turned away. Gabriel and Sam rounded the corner, blade and gun in hand. Dean's eyes flicked first from them then back to Castiel.  
Sam took a step towards them and the eldest hunter's eyes turned black once more. There was a sudden shift and Dean vanished from sight. Castiel felt his chest constrict and his heart hurt as sobs wracked his body. Dean didn't know who he was. Crowley had done something to his mate. He didn't even have the strength to answer Sam or Gabriel's questions when the got to him. All he could do was sob into Sam's chest as Gabriel's wings embraced them both.


	5. Facing the Truth

**Chapter 5: Faced with the Truth**

Dean sat on his bed and stared at himself in the mirror of his room. It was almost like looking into the face of a stranger. He didn't recognize the person in the mirror. It was a feeling that he had since he had awoken, face down on the floor of some run down motel, with Crowley finishing off the hunter that had been trying to kill him. His head had been pounding and his whole body ached. The demon had been relieved to see him awake but it turned sour when the King of Hell found out that Dean remembered nothing of before.  
The Scotsman had taken him back to his mansion and explained everything to him. Hunters and angels had found out about him being Nephilim. The only one of his kind and they had tried to kill him for it. They had nearly succeeded too. The car accident they had staged had killed his half brother, step-father, mother, and mate. He had barely survived and Crowley had answered his call for help only to find them dragging him away. The King of Hell followed them to the motel where he saved him from certain death. Or so he was told.  
Seeing the angel today had shaken him to his core though he didn't want to admit it. The shock he had seen in those blue eyes had been understandable, he had just run into the Nephilim after all. But it had been the hope and love that came after the shock that had thrown him. Why would an angel, who was supposed to be trying to kill him, been filled with hope at the very sight of him? Why would there be love in his eyes?  
 _I need my mate._  
Crowley had told him that his mate was dead. Yet this black haired angel was claiming to be his mate. When he had told the angel his mate was dead that pain that had came from him had made his own heart stutter and he almost went over and kissed him. The tears that fell from his eyes only made the urge that much stronger. He wasn't sure where the urge had come from but it had been there. It left him feeling confused and his his head hurt.  
Adding to the confusion was when the angel had pulled out his own blades only to discard them. No, not discard, because the angel had kicked his blades to him. He had surrendered to Dean without even being asked. Angels never surrendered; they preferred death over capture, especially in the case of being captured by a demon. Maybe the angel thought he could appeal to him, being only half demon.  
Reaching up he scrubbed at his face with his hands. This whole thing seemed like one big fucking mess and he seemed to be at the center of it. Was it because he was a Nephilim or was it because of something more? The only person who had answers was Crowley and the demon was not the most forthcoming type in the world. Unless...  
Dean stood and went over to his desk. He shuffled through the drawers until he found what he was looking for. A lock pick set. It had been in the pocket of the clothes he was wearing when Crowley had found him. The demon would be in meetings for most of the night. He had to get to his study.  
Quickly leaving his room Dean rushed downstairs to Crowley's office. The doors were unlocked so he slipped in without the guards seeing him. Going over to the large black oak monstrosity he began carefully going through the papers. So far it just seemed like the normal stuff that humans had but he knew that sometimes the two worlds intersected.  
He carefully pulled open the drawers and found a few things that looked interesting but nothing that would give him any true answers. He finally found something in the bottom on the left. There! A receipt for a motel in Lawrence, Kansas. Frowning he wracked his brain trying to place why that would be important. The motel that Crowley had found him in had been in Lawrence. Why would the demon have a receipt for there? Unless his accident had been a set up to get him?  
*Relax Dean. It might have been the only way to make sure that you couldn't be tracked. Crowley might have paid for a room to hide the fact that I'd been there. Yeah and pigs fly. Come on! I know you keep files on everything. Where the fuck are they?!*  
Placing the small piece of paper back Dean noticed that the drawer was smaller then it should have been. Removing the papers he found a locked false bottom. Pulling out his lock picks he was surprised to find that he was able to use them easily. Now he had another question to deal with and still no answers. Opening the lock, he popped the bottom open and found a large manilla envelope. Not knowing how much time he had he pulled it out and replaced the bottom and locked it once more.  
Sliding the envelope under the baggy black shirt he had changed into he left the room careful not to be seen again. He stopped into the den and grabbed a couple movies to use as a cover just in case he had been missed. He was glad he did. As he got closer to his room he was greeted by the one guard that never seemed to be afraid of him. If nothing else his neon blue eyes were cool. They made quite a pair. A deaf Nephilim and his blind guard.  
"Prince Dean I've been looking for you. You didn't tell anyone you were leaving your room."  
Dean grinned and help up his movie choices. "Just went and got some porn since I couldn't find someone to bang at the festival. Could you do me a favor and have someone send me up some food and tell Crowley that I don't want to be disturbed Razael?"  
"Of course." Razael said with a grin.  
Dean went into his room and pulled the envelope out from under his shirt and hid it under his pillow before stripping down to his boxers. He grabbed his laptop and sat it on the bed and began booting it up. He put the movie and hit play and made sure to settle in, putting a pillow in his lap. Just in time to because Crowley entered the room with a wave.  
Dean glared. "Can't a guy jack off in peace?"  
Crowley frowned. "Couldn't find someone to bed then?"  
The brunette threw the pillow that wasn't in lap at the Hell King. "Fuck off! I want to be left alone! Unless you have my food. Leave it here first then fuck off!"  
The demon made a face and a servant came in with a service tray filled with his favorites and left just as quickly. Dean grinned and grabbed for a burger but stopped when he realized that Crowley was still watching him. He flipped the demon the bird and the King of Hell let out a growl and left, locking the door behind him.  
Dean waited until he was sure he was alone before he pulled the envelope out, opened it, and dumped it's contents on his bed. The first thing he noticed was a contract with an angel by the name of Castiel. He read it over and frowned. It seemed like the contract was no longer valid so why would he keep it? There was also a blank one that hadn't been signed yet. The next was several pictures and to his shock it was pictures of the angel he had seen earlier. Was this Castiel?  
The angel was dressed all in white with a collar and cuffs and the same large black wings. There was another picture of the angel being whipped and another of him sucking on Crowley but there were tears rolling down the angel's face. It made Dean wonder just how many times the angel was forced into such degradation. It was clear the angel didn't want to do it.  
The next set of pictures was of the blonde that had come into the alley way after the angel. There were several pictures all showing the angel in various stages of pain and torture. There was even one where the angel's wings were out and they seemed to be rotting. One of them lay severed from his body and a bloody knife was in the angel's hand and it made Dean gag a bit. How much pain had the angel been in to feel the need to cut off his own wing?  
The next set of pictures had him dropping them in shock. It was him! Him and the black haired angel and the human that had been with the blonde! He flipped through the nineteen pictures each one driving him further into confusion. It was clear that he knew them. Pictures didn't lie. He knew them. And judging by the closeness that they had showed he must have known the blonde angel too.  
Setting the pictures down he realized that there was one thing left. A dvd. With a shrug he took the porn movie out of the laptop and went over to the tv and dvd player and put the movie in there instead and let it play on the big screen. He wanted to make sure he wasn't disturbed. As the porn began to play he was grateful he was deaf; it would have made his task so much harder.  
Putting the dvd from the envelope into his laptop he made sure to mute the sound on it just in case before hitting play. He was quite glad he did. The dvd jumped right into the dark haired angel being whipped. There were several angles of it and it made his skin crawl watching the angel scream. Crowley stepping into frame and began yelling at the angel about trying to take his own life. Dean could sympathize. He try to off himself too if he was forced to please a demon.  
Speaking of, Crowley forcing the angel to please him came up next. It seemed that Crowley was training the angel to please him. The demon made a comment about a clause in the contract about remaining a virgin. Grabbing up the contract he had first seen Dean read it over and looked back at the screen. He was convinced that the angel he was watching was Castiel. The screen went fuzzy and then it came back.  
Instead of a bedroom they were now in a cellar with the blonde angel. Crowley seemed to enjoy kicking the poor angel. He watched as then angel mouthed off the the Hell King with absolutely no fear and endured everything he was given with no complaint. The only sign the angel was hurting was after the room would empty and then the angel was reduced to sobs. It changed again and Dean looked away quickly as the blonde brought the knife up and sliced through his own wing in one quick stroke.  
When he looked back he grabbed the screen and leaned in close staring. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was himself, the human, and the dark angel. They slipped into the room with the blonde, weapons drawn and on guard. He watched himself as he help rescue the blonde angel from his confinement. He felt numb when he watched himself kiss the dark haired angel before they rushed from the room, with the angel taking point, the human carrying the blonde, and himself taking up the rear.  
Dean stopped the movie. Crowley was lying to him. He pulled the movie from the computer and replace it and everything else back into the envelope. Dean felt numb. He wasn't sure what to think. If Crowley was lying to him then who was he supposed to believe? Reaching up Dean clutched at the necklace around his neck.  
 _It's my feather you wear around your neck. It was my response to your courting gift._  
Of course! Dean rushed over to his desk and pulled out a pen and some paper.  
{I want the answers I know you have. We need to talk. Come to the mansion. Say nothing to Crowley of our previous meeting. ~DW}  
He wrote the address underneath and rolled up the note. Trying to think of the best way to send it he saw the empty wine bottle from the other night. He shoved the note in it and quickly found the cork and shoved it in. He turned and let out a whistle, smiling as Fergus stood and padded silently over to him from his corner of the room.  
Dean gave the hell hound a good rub. "I need a favor my friend. I need you to take a message to someone okay? An angel. Think you can do that for me?"  
Fergus let out a rumble that Dean could feel under his fingers.  
"Thanks. I think his name is Castiel. This feather I'm wearing belongs to him." Dean held out his necklace and the hell hound took several big sniffs before growling again. "Don't attack anyone. Just give them this bottle and leave okay? Make sure no one here sees you okay? This is important. This is for my own protection."  
Fergus let out a growl. He had been tasked with protecting this body and answered only to him. He would do anything to protect his owner. He gently took the bottle and rubbed against his Master. He would do as was asked. Watching his Master smile he turned and went out the open window, breathing deeply. He had an angel to find.  
SSSSS  
Castiel stared into the roaring fireplace, a cup of tea that Sam made him held tight in his hands and one of Gabriel's fur blankets were draped around him, weighing down his wings but he couldn't bring himself to care. They had found Dean. They had found his mate. His mate who it seemed had forgotten him completely. Those green eyes that he loved so much held no recognition in them when Dean had looked at him. It was like looking into the eyes of a stranger.  
He took a sip of his tea and reached for their bond again. It felt no different then before but it seemed that now Dean's side was opened but something was blocking it. Perhaps even hiding it from the hunter which would explain why Dean would think his mate dead. It had still hurt, to know that Dean did not see him as his mate or even as a friend, but as someone who had killed those he loved. It left him feeling cold inside.  
Behind him he could hear Gabriel, Sam, and Bobby talking softly, not wanting to disturb him. Even Sam was hesitant to say anything to him, instead waiting until Castiel would set his empty cup down before refilling it and setting it back beside him. He was grateful for the space. He needed time to cope with what had happened in New Orleans.  
Dean had indeed threatened him but Castiel hadn't felt any malicious intent from the hunter. Instead he had only felt the need for answers and anger. Dean had no real intent to harm him. In fact he had pulled them away from people who were innocent in case they had come to blows. Maybe his Dean still resided somewhere in that man that had stood before him.  
It still left the question of why Dean was lacking his memory. He hadn't sensed any new injuries that had happened to the hunter so that could only mean that a spell had been used. Until he managed to connect with Dean again he couldn't be sure what kind of spell had been used. Were Dean's memories simply sealed away or were they lost for good? His very soul ached at the thought on his mate's memories lost forever. Castiel shuddered, his wings trembling so violently that the blanket fell off him.  
"Castiel?"  
Castiel flinched and his wings twitched at his brother's soft voice. "I'm fine."  
"I don't think you are. Do you even realize that you've been sitting here for almost a full day?" Gabriel asked sitting down behind him.  
"I was just lost in my thoughts."  
"Thoughts about your mate who, from what you said, seems to have forgotten all about you."  
Though Gabriel's voice held no malice in it, it still stung like the whip that had once tore his skin apart. "It has to be a spell. He had no injuries."  
"I know. I don't know what spell was used but we'll get Dean back. I promise." Gabriel said softly. "I won't let you lose him again."  
"He can't...He can't have lost them for good..."  
"Your mating bond is still intact Castiel. That means that his memories can't be lost. Only sealed. That is what having a soul mate bond does. It protects the memories and the soul that they are attached too. Dean still has us in his head somewhere. It's just lost right now." Gabriel said softly, as three of his wings slowly settled over the younger angel, like a large feathered blanket. "And what's even better is that we have a way to purge the demon blood. We have all the ingredients."  
Castiel fought to hold in his tears. "I was a stranger to him. You should have seen the way he looked at me Gabriel. It was like he was looking at the things he hunts. His eyes were so cold that I almost didn't recognize him."  
Those wings wrapped around him a bit tighter. "This is only temporary Cassie."  
"He thinks that his mate and family are dead and the angels and hunters are responsible. He thinks us dead and...I...I don't know what to do. Our bond is still there but it's like something else is there, blocking us." He admitted softly.  
Gabriel raised his hand. "May I?"  
Castiel nodded, surprised that Gabriel even felt the need to ask. Gabriel was the only angel he trusted completely with his Grace. Something that he told his older brother multiple times and yet his brother still felt the need to ask. It just made him trust his older brother even more because he knew that Gabriel only asked because he didn't want to betray that trust. It was just another thing that made Gabriel his favorite brother.  
He closed his eyes as he felt the other three wings wrap tightly around him and he relaxed into them as Gabriel's fingers touched his brow. The warmth of Gabriel's Grace enveloped him, working to soothe the hurt he was feeling. Warm, tingling lips pressed against his own and he pressed back giving the archangel full access to everything that he was. That warmth slid deeper until it reached his bond with Dean. It hesitantly touched it, hovering before Castiel gave it a shove and the warmth slid deeper going across the bond to where the block was.  
The dark haired angel had no idea how long Gabriel was examining the bond but it felt like an eternity before the archangel pulled back. He allowed his Grace to envelop him once again before he felt those tingling lips pull away, leaving him slightly dazed. Touching the Grace of an archangel was always such a rush that it left him feeling much like he had just been free falling and unsure if his wings could catch him.  
He blinked and looked into those gold eyes and smiling face. "Gabriel?"  
The archangel let out a chuckle. "Crowley is sloppy. Very, very sloppy. I just found out a lot thanks to you Cassie."  
"What did you find?"  
"A seal and a block. Both easy enough to break but I need Dean's permission to do so. So we have to convince your mate that we are who we say we are." Gabriel said. "Which means that we need to find Crowley as soon as possible."  
"That shouldn't be too hard." Bobby said, having been brought to the house by Gabriel at Sam's request. "I've already got hunter's looking everywhere for them. They won't be able to hide for very long. If anyone knows anything then they know to call me."  
Castiel nodded. "Thank you for doing this Bobby. I don't know how-"  
"Finish that sentence and I will beat you over the head with something." Bobby said in no uncertain terms. "This is just what family does."  
"Speaking of, you are welcome to stay as long as you want until this is settled Bobby." Gabriel said. "I have more then enough room not to mention several libraries filled with tomes and several cellars full of just about everything you'd need for spell casting. Help yourself."  
"Thank for that. I'm glad you're letting me help. These boys mean the world to me." Bobby said. "I'd do anything for them."  
"Then you and Sam do me both a favor and stand really, really still." Gabriel said as he stood, his gold eyes locked on the glass door.  
"Gabe?" Sam asked. "What do you see?"  
"It's a hell hound. He's just sitting there. Holding a wine bottle." The archangel said with confusion. "Castiel do you mind?"  
Castiel stood and moved to stand before Sam and Bobby, his blades at ready. Gabriel moved forward and opened the door. He watched as the hound set down the bottle and turned and walked off, not interested in doing anything other then his apparently appointed task. Picking up the bottle the blonde frowned noticing the note inside. He smashed it against the side of the house and picked up the note before bringing it back inside.  
Castiel stood down now that the danger had passed. "What does it say?"  
When Gabriel looked up at him, his smile was dark. "It seems that Dean has invited us to Crowley's new mansion tomorrow night. We have their address."


	6. A Forced Kidnapping

**Chapter 6: A Forced Kidnaping**

"Do you care to tell me exactly how you did manage to find me?" Crowley asked, staring down at the two angels and two humans that stood before him in his office that he used for normal meetings. "May I offer you a drink?"  
"I don't think any of us are stupid enough to drink anything you'd offer us." Sam snapped. "Where's Dean?"  
Crowley poured himself a glass of whisky and took a seat once more, grabbing a pen to sign some of the paper work that needed to be done. "What makes you think I've seen your Dean? The only other person here of interest is my son."  
"You mean my son." Gabriel said, his voice cold. "You know that I adopted Dean making him my son. Then you pumped him full of demon blood."  
Crowley glanced up with a smile. "Our son then. And thanks for giving me a son even though we didn't do the deed. You should have taken better care of him though. He showed up deaf and in pain because you hated him for the demon blood in him. He asked that I take care of him and give him a fresh start since he had no where else to go. So I did."  
"You're full of shit!" Bobby spat. "Dean would never come to you for anything! He knows you'd stab him in the back faster then you can blink!"  
"Then why is he currently sleeping upstairs and not with you?" The Scotsman asked, signing off on one of the papers and setting it aside.  
"I want to see him. I want to see my mate!"  
Crowley looked up at Castiel, the angel was giving off a very unpleasant energy, it was almost sour. "Have you lost weight? You look thinner and you're a bit on the pale side. I'd get that checked if I were you. I've heard that losing a mate can be fatal to an angel."  
"Castiel is fine." Gabriel said. "Now are you going to grant our request to see Dean or not?"  
"He's asleep. Like I said. Try coming back another day" Crowley said turning back to his paper work. "Now if you don't mind I'm very busy. Being the King of Hell comes with a lot of paper work."  
"Please let us see Dean. It's all we're asking. If he's really happy then we'll leave. No questions asked." Sam said. "I just need to see my brother."  
"He's not your brother anymore." The Hell king said with a grin. "So he's not your problem."  
"My step son then." The hunter snapped. "Gabe is my mate. Dean is his son. My step son."  
Thinking about it the Scotsman supposed the hunter made a point. There were also laws that were in place about demonic children. If a couple had a child and the couple split then demands to see the child by the other parent had to be met unless there was a just cause for not allowing it. Just his luck he didn't have an excuse ready because he didn't think they'd catch up to him so soon.  
"Well? Can we see Dean or not?" Sam asked with a glare.  
With a growl Crowley pushed a button on his desk the intercom on his desk. "Would someone be kind enough to wake my son and send him down to my office? There are some people who would like to see him." He let go of the button and looked up. "Happy? He should be down in a few minutes."  
Gabriel was staring at him with a look that clearly promised him pain. Having gone toe to toe with the archangel once before and not coming out on top had given him a new respect for the blonde despite his stature. Gabriel was not someone that he was willing to try and cross again. A sudden scream rang out before it was abruptly cut off causing everyone in the room to jump.  
"Damn it not again." Crowley said tiredly. "That is the third on this week."  
Gabriel couldn't help but smile at him. "Problems?"  
"He's roughly the equivalent of a demonic teenager." The demon said with a growl as he stood. "It comes with mood swings."  
A door near the back of the room opened and Dean walked in looking half asleep. He was wearing his spiked boots and leather pants and nothing else. Crowley growled at his half dressed state as he realized that those leather pants were barely laced up enough to protect his modesty and his boots weren't even tied. Dean walked over to his bottle of whiksy and pulled the top off and instead of pouring himself a glass began to drink straight from the bottle itself. The Scotsman couldn't help but feel slightly disgusted at the display.  
Finished taking a drink Dean turned to Crowley. "Your guard is dead."  
The King of Hell had to count to five to calm himself before he even thought about asking his question. "May I ask what this one did to earn your ire?"  
"He touched me. You need to train them better." Dean said turning and leaning against the table to face him while taking another drink. "And while you're at it get some decent booze in here please. This stuff is horrible. They didn't even spell whiskey right on the bottle."  
Crowley fought the urge to to smack the hunter. "That is the finest Scottish Whisky anywhere and that is the proper way it is spelled where I am from. Try having a little respect Dean."  
The half dressed man took another drink and seemed to think it over. "So not only do they not know good booze but they can't spell it either? I'm starting to feel bad for you."  
Taking a deep breath the Hell King fought to calm himself before waving a hand towards the other four in the room. "Dean there are some people here who would like to see you. If you would please make yourself a little more presentable."  
Dean looked down at his clothes and pulled his pants up a bit more and tied them. "Better?" He asked looking back up the demon.  
Crowley nodded. "Much. Now I would like to introduce you to Robert, Sam, Gabriel and Castiel. They are here to see you."  
Dean turned to look at them and then he turned back to the Hell King with a frown, running a hand over his face. "Look, I get that you think I'm stressed but this is not going to win brownie points with me. Really."  
That had the whole room confused.  
"Beg your pardon?" Crowley asked, not sure what the hunter was going on about.  
"I know you are trying to be a good dad to me and I understand that you aren't too sure how to go about it but this is going just a bit too far don't you think? I mean I can understand buying me magazines and movies, hell, I could even understand you buying me toys, condoms, and lube, but this?" Dean shook his head. "I really don't need to you to buy me bed partners. Hell the only one that even runs close to my tastes is the dark haired one."  
Crowley resisted the urge to smack himself in the face hard; the boy honestly thought he had bought him hookers. Judging by the look on the archangel's face he was enjoying the his discomfort. He wasn't sure how much more of Dean's attitude he could take. The only thing that kept him from killing the boy was the fact he needed him alive to get what he wanted.  
"Dean they are not here for that. They just want to talk to you. Sam and Robert are hunters and Castiel is a seraph and Gabriel is an archangel." Crowley explained.  
Dean made tsking sound. "Wow...Slow week Dad? This is what you've been reduced to? Making deals with angels? The common demon would weep at that fact."  
"Damnit Dean! You really need to stop pissing me off."  
The brunette smirked. "You mean like this?"  
Without another word Dean walked over to Castiel and grabbed the angel around the waist. He pressed in close and slammed their lips together, kissing the angel hard. Dean felt the angel tense under him and then he melted against him, kissing back for all he was worth. There was a sense of rightness that came with the kiss. There was a sudden hand on his shoulder yanking him away. He stumbled and looked up at the angry face of his dad.  
"What do you think you are doing?" The King of Hell asked.  
"Did it piss you off?" Dean asked with a smirk.  
Dean could almost feel the growl the demon let out. "Yes."  
"Then my work is done." The hunter said with a chuckle as Crowley went back to his desk and he turned to face the others. "So you wanted to see me?"  
For a moment Dean was glad he was deaf. Everyone started talking at once. If the look on Crowley's face was anything to go by then they were yelling. Dean watched them for a moment before putting his hand up. They fell silent and Dean gave then a smirk. He took another drink before turning to make sure he could see everyone.  
"Okay since my dad obviously didn't tell you I will. If you want to talk to me you need to do it one at a time. I am deaf. I read lips to get by. The only way I can understand anything is if you all talk one at a time or pick someone to speak for the group. Are we clear?"  
The four looked at each other before the blonde came forward. As he did Dean wondered if the angel had recovered from losing his wing. It looked like he had recovered from everything else so why not that? He was pleased to see that he was right about the dark haired angel being Castiel. It just made him wonder what the other three meant to him.  
"Hello Dean. How are you?" ^Can you hear me?^  
Dean fought the urge to jump at the sudden voice in his head. "Fine considering this one doesn't know the first thing about being a proper dad." ^How the fuck are you in my head?^  
"Don't you recognize us?" ^I'm an archangel. Listen you asked us here so I am going to assume you have a plan?^  
"Nope. Why should I?" ^Yeah. Once you leave park around back near the crack in the wall.^  
"Dean it's us. Your family." ^Any particular time?^  
Dean made sure to let out a growl, glad that these people and his own acting skills were up to par. "Yeah right. Angels and hunters killed my family! How dare you even say shit like that! I should have known that angels were nothing but lying scumbags." ^Yeah. As soon as you leave. I'll be right there. You might have to wait for a bit. I have to go get ready right now okay?^  
Gabriel flinched at that as did the other four. ^Yeah go.^ "Listen to us Dean. Crowley isn't-"  
"Shut your mouth!" Dean snapped. "You know what? Fuck you. I'm leaving. I'm going out to get laid. I'll be back later."  
Crowley watched Dean leave with a satisfied smirk. "See? He doesn't want to see you."  
"What the hell did you do to my brother?" Sam snapped.  
"He asked that I take away his memories so he wouldn't have to remember the pain he felt when you turned on him." The Scotsman said with a smirk. "In his mind you are the ones who killed his family and left him for dead. I'm his loving father."  
Gabriel glared at the King of Hell. "And if I kill you now? What would happen then?"  
"Then you'd have a very angry Nephilim to contend with wouldn't you?"  
Gabriel let out an angry sigh. "Just because you've managed to win this battle it does not mean that the war between us is over Crowley. I will drive you into the ground."  
"Good luck with that." The Hell King said with a smirk. "Now run along. I have things to attend too and I need to make sure my son is okay after you upset him."  
Several demons came forward and began to escort them out and the four went, shoot glares at him the whole time. Once they were out of sight he rushed up to Dean's room. He wasn't sure what damage could have been done to the seal since the boy had kissed his mate. He could only hope that it wasn't too bad. When he got to Dean's room he went in and saw him comparing two different shirts.  
"Are you alright?" Crowley asked, trying to look concerned. "I know that must not have been pleasant. I should have turned them away."  
Dean shook his head. "It's fine. I'm sorry I snapped like that. And I'm sorry for kissing the one. I was just so mad and..."  
"I know." Crowley said, placing his hand on the seal on the hunter's neck, relieved to find that it was still intact and no damage had been done. "I just want to make sure you are safe."  
"Thanks."  
Crowley leaned forward and placed a kiss on the hunter's neck drawing a shudder from him. "Are you sure you want to go out and get laid? I could always keep you entertained."  
"Make another time. Right now I want to see if I can find me a nice virgin to break in." Dean said, finally settling on a black velvet poet's shirt. "Besides I thought you had a ton of work."  
The demon sighed knowing that he was right. His pursuit of the hunter left him falling behind in his work. He grabbed Dean around the waist and pulled him close, savoring the warm, half nude body. The hunter's green eyes locked on his in the mirror and the King of Hell couldn't help himself. He spun the Nephilim around and kissed him hard, shoving him against the mirror. As sharp cry left his lips as the demon bit them, blood welling to the surface. Those cries increased when he moved down the hunter's neck. He managed to calm himself and pulled away, leaving Dean gasping for breath and wide eyed.  
Crowley fixed his suit. "Have a fun time. This might be the last time I let you leave for a while."  
Dean didn't move until he heard his door lock. He began to shake, Crowley had never done that before. All the more reason to why he need to leave. It didn't matter anymore if these people were safe, he had to leave. Rushing around the room he grabbed a small backpack and began shoving clothes in it and the manilla envelope. Making sure that was everything he went over to the window and began climbing down.  
SSSSS  
Gabriel tapped his fingers on the steering wheel of the Impala. He didn't want to say anything but he was worried for Dean. Even though the hunter didn't recognize them he'd still felt the pull to Castiel. So much so that he had kissed him. While it was clear that Dean had only been trying to get a rise out of the demon, Gabriel had seen so much more. The pure fury and fear that came off the demon nearly made him gag. Looking down at the clock he tried to hide his frustration.  
"Gabe..."  
"I'm fine."  
"You're worried."  
The angel turned his gold eyes on Sam. "Yeah I am. When Dean kissed Cassie it sparked something in Crowley. He was upset. I think it has to do with the spell sealing Dean's memories. I think that he was afraid that it would break. My guess is that the spell must not be taking like he wants it too or it's not stable."  
"That's good for us then right?" Bobby asked.  
"It can be but there is also a danger of it collapsing and it could leave him with scattered memories of truth and lies. It could be very harmful." Gabriel admitted.  
"We can help him though as long as we are careful." Castiel said. "Gabriel is strong enough in his healing skills that it should not be a problem."  
"So just how long do we have to wait?" Bobby asked.  
"I don't know but the longer we wait the more likely it is that Crowley has figured out that something is wrong." Gabriel said softly.  
Just then there was the sound of hell hound growling that began to slowly fill the air. Gabriel and Castiel sat a bit straighter and their eyes tracked something near the wall. A black leather bag was thrown over the wall and caught by the hound and sat on the ground. A figure came over the wall and grabbed the bag. The figure shimmered and vanished and reappeared in the back seat.  
"Drive! Now!"  
Gabriel and Sam turned to face Dean, who had appeared in the back seat. All four took a look at him. They took in the clothes which they had to admit looked good on the hunter but then they noticed the blood and hicky. Dean clutched the black leather bag he held tight to his chest, glancing around.  
"Stop staring at me and drive! Get me the hell out of here now!"  
Sam looked horrified. "Dean what-"  
"You can fawn over me later!" Dean snapped. "I could care less where you take me! Hell I don't even care if you are taking me to be executed just get me the fuck out of here now!"  
The Impala shook and a hell hound growled.  
"Shit! Just follow us Fergus! Meet us there but don't be seen!" Dean snapped.  
The hell hound vanished into the night and Gabriel started up the Impala. The archangel gunned the engine and they took off for the nearest highway. It was only when they were several miles away that Dean seemed to relax looking out the back window before collapsing against the seat.  
"Thank fuck!" The Nephilim said taking a deep breath. "I was sure that he'd have me followed."  
"Are you alright?" Castiel asked reaching up to touch Dean's face.  
The hunter jerked at the soft touch, not having seen the angel speak in the dim light. "Whoa! The hell are you doing? You can do whatever you want to me later just get me someplace safe."  
Gabriel glanced in the mirror and nodded. He turned off into a tunnel and as they drove the tunnel began to change, going from concrete and steel to stone. Coming out the other side they were greeted with the sight of the archangel's house in the setting sun. Dean's eyes went wide as he took it in. Gabriel parked the car and they all got out. As Dean shut the door he stumbled dropping his bag.  
"Are you alright?" Castiel asked, rushing to his mate's side.  
"Yeah. I'm fine just...Fucking lay lines." The brunette gasped out.  
"I'm sorry you don't like the location of my house." Gabriel said with a grin.  
Dean stared at him in shock. "You actually live here?"  
"We all do."  
Green eyes took in their surroundings before turning back to the group. "There is something seriously wrong in the head with you fucking people." He said before the energy became too much and he hit the ground in a dead faint.


	7. Getting Answers

**Chapter 7: Getting Answers**

Dean shifted and stirred, tossing around on the bed. He felt strange, like he'd one too many energy drinks. He shifted again and a warm hand brushed against his brow and the strange feeling began to fade. With a groan he opened his eyes and were met with smiling gold eyes. He startled a bit and looked around, not remembering how he got to a bed.  
^We carried you up here.^  
Dean turned back to the angel. "I can hear you. How the hell are you doing that?"  
^As long as I have a physical connection with you I can project my thoughts into your mind. It's a bit harder to do without the connection but it is possible as I proved to you at the mansion.^ The angel said softly. ^Is my voice the first you've heard?^  
Dean nodded. "Yeah. I haven't heard anything since I woke up after the accident."  
^I'm sorry to hear that. How do you feel? Is the barrier working?^ He asked with a tilt of his head. ^With you passed out I wasn't sure how well it would work to keep the energy at bay.^  
"Its working great. Thanks." Dean hesitated. "It's Gabriel right?"  
The blonde nodded. ^Glad you remember my name. I have to say I loved how you drove Crowley up the wall. That was beautiful.^  
"Just something to pass the time. Where's my bag?"  
Gabriel stood and picked up the bag from it's place on the dresser and brought it over to him. ^What's so important about this bag?^  
The hunter gave him a funny look. "You mean you didn't open it?"  
^Nope. It belongs to you. That means I need your permission to open it. Since you were out you couldn't do that.^ Gabriel said softly. ^Would you like to join us for breakfast?^  
Dean looked around. He was a bit confused but happy to see that they only thing that had removed from him was hit boots. He sat up slowly pleased that the energy from the lay lines wasn't as strong. With a heavy sigh Dean couldn't help but relax even though he was in the presence of an angel that could most likely snap him like a twig.  
"Thanks for getting me out of there." Dean said softly as he stood, looking for his boots. "I was getting tired of Crowley's advances. Last night was the first night he actually tried something. I really could care less about him and his plans or being the Prince of Hell. And after what I found I could care less about whether all of heaven and earth is out to kill me as long as get the answers I want." Dean paused as he pulled his boots on. "Sorry. I guess I'm not making much sense am I?"  
Gabriel chuckled. ^I blame it on lack of food. Come on. Everyone's waiting downstairs.^  
Dean followed the angel, slinging his bag over his head to rest comfortably across his back. The house itself didn't seem very big but he could tell that a bit of magic had been used meaning that the house could be huge and not look any different. Going down the stairs led them to a kitchen where the two humans were sitting at the table and the other angel was sitting at the counter. They all gave him a smile when he came in.  
Deciding that it was the one place where he could see everyone clearly he took a seat next to the dark haired angel. Blue eyes regarded him curiously but the angel made no move against him. The taller human stood and went over to the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee before adding some sugar and a small splash of cream. The human gave him a smile, setting the cup in front of him before returning to his seat. He stared down at liquid before picking it up and taking a sip, surprised to find it just the way he liked it. Gabriel sat a plate filled with bacon, eggs, and sausage, with a side of toast in front of him and then took a seat between the two humans.  
He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to look at the angel next to him. "Morning."  
Dean gave him a weak smile. "Castiel right?"  
The angel nodded. "I'm glad you remembered my name."  
"Sorry about the kiss. I know it was a bit rough and sudden." The hunter said.  
The angel gave him a blinding smile. "You don't have to apologize. I greatly enjoyed it."  
"Good to know. You were the first person I can ever remember kissing."  
"If it means anything..." Castiel said with a blush. "You were my first kiss as well."  
Dean's eyes turned soft but he didn't say anything. Instead he looked down at the food and after a few moments decided that he would it eat. After all if they had wanted him dead then they could have easily killed him when he passed out. At his first forkful of food his eyes went wide at the taste and he had to admit he must have looked like a pig but damn it all if he wasn't hungry. As soon as his plate was empty Gabriel refilled it with a smile.  
"So...This happen often here?" Dean asked looking around. "The whole eating together thing?"  
"All the time." Sam said turning to face him. "Meal times are family times here."  
"Not sure I get it but okay." Dean admitted. "It was...Sam?"  
Sam's face lit up. "Yup."  
"I recognized you from the pictures but I didn't have a name to go with the face. Castiel was the only name I had to go on and even then I wasn't too sure if I had the right name with the right angel. None of the stuff was labeled." The hunter said around a mouthful of food. "Sorry."  
"What do you mean nothing was labeled?" Sam asked. "Does it have to do with why you asked us to come to you?  
"Yeah. After the festival I went back home. I'm not going to lie but I always felt like something was wrong ever sine I woke up after the accident. When I saw Castiel at the festival I had the strangest urge to kiss him. I didn't understand it. Then he showed me his wings. They matched my feather. Dad told me that everyone was burned alive in the car, my mate included. I only survived because my seat belt broke and I was thrown." Dean said softly, looking down at his half finished plate. "He said that when he showed up...He could hear their dying screams as the car burned. I had been trying to get them out when one of the angels hit me over the head. When Dad showed up they took me and fled. By that time it was too late to save any of them. Dad thinks my memory loss is from that."  
Gabriel stood and came over to Dean holding out both hands towards his face. "May I?"  
Green eyes narrowed. "What are you going to do?"  
"I am not only the Messenger Archangel but I am also the Archangel of Healing. I'd like to look you over if I have your permission?"  
Dean glared at the angel but after a moment nodded. The minute those hands touched his face he couldn't help but let out a loud moan at the warmth in them. He shuddered from the warmth of an angel as it was such a different feeling then the cold hands of the demons he was used to. The feeling spread from his face, went down his neck and soon filled his whole body. His eyes closed and he leaned into the touch and actually whined when Gabriel pulled away. He felt dazed as he opened his eyes to find the laughing faces of the angels and humans.  
Dean felt himself flush. "Do all angels feel that warm or is it just you?"  
"Not just me but I am warmer then most." Gabriel said. "Dean...You've had no injuries in the last six months. The last injuries that you sustained are the ones from my battle with Crowley."  
"You fought my dad and won?" Dean asked, looking the angel up and down. "No offense but...You're a bit on the short side aren't you?"  
"And yet I managed to put the fear of me into him."  
The brunette was silent for a few minutes before looking back up at him. "Why...Why did you cut your wing off?" That had the whole kitchen tensing and the Nephilim was able to feel the change in the air. "Sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut. I was told it always got me into trouble."  
"It's not that." Castiel said. "It's just a very sore subject with us. Our wings are the most sensitive part of our body. The fact that Gabriel had no choice but to remove it, knowing the pain that would come with it...Most angels would have rather died then take that pain."  
Dean pulled his bag off and opened it and shuffled through the pictures until he came to the one of Gabriel after cutting off his wing. He dropped it on the counter next to his plate and closed his bag. The reactions were not what he was expecting. Gabriel swayed dangerously and Sam rushed to steady him while Castiel looked like he wanted to throw up. The last human came over and picked up the picture staring at it.  
"I always knew he was sick, taking pictures and shit but I think this is going a bit far even for him." The human said.  
Dean stared at him for a minute. "You're...Bobby-" A spike of pain shot through his head and he flinched. "Damn."  
"Dean?" Castiel turned and put a hand on his mate's arm and watched as the pain began to fade.  
"That hurt. It's just a headache." He said holding a hand to his head  
Castiel frowned when he realized what occurred. Dean had called him 'Bobby' and yet Crowley introduced him as 'Robert'. Castiel had turned to look at Gabriel, who was watching Dean from Sam's embrace. Those gold eyes were calculating and the younger angel could almost see the numbers running through his head. His brother was trying to put a time line to seal. Every symptom was a clue to how long they had. He turned back to Dean who was looking over the picture with Bobby.  
"Just how many more of these do you have?" The older hunter asked.  
"There was quite a bit of stuff in the envelope. Not to mention the dvd. I just skimmed through it. I was worried about getting caught so I couldn't watch all of it." Dean said holding tightly onto his bag. "I was hoping that you guys could tell me most of what this stuff was."  
"Let's get comfortable then. I have a feeling that what you found won't be pleasing to look at." Gabriel said heading into the living room.  
Everyone else filed in and got comfortable. Gabriel took his oversized armchair and Sam sat on the floor in front of him. Bobby decided on taking the love seat while Castiel took the couch. Seeing no harm in it Dean sat next to the angel, missing the smile that crossed his face when he did so. Dean pulled out the large envelope and sat it on the table.  
"I'm going to warn you now. Some of this stuff is not pretty. The dvd is even worse and I'm sure it has sound." Dean warned opening the envelope and dumping it onto the table.  
The pictures scattered across the table. Dean shifted them around until they were all clearly visible. He looked up and the pain was clear on their faces. Sam seemed angry as he took in the pictures of Gabriel, while the angel just seemed pained. Castiel was staring at the pictures with a look of regret and heartbreak. Bobby looked over each and everyone, having not been present during either of these events. When he was done the hunter picked up both contracts and read them over.  
"I think this second one was meant for Gabriel." Bobby said looking it over.  
Sam looked up at him. "What makes you say that?"  
"This contract says that the signer of this contract agrees to give Crowley a child any time he wants and that the person agrees to become his personal sex slave." Bobby said passing it to him.  
Sam read it then held it out to Gabriel. "Have you ever seen this Gabe?"  
The blonde nodded sadly. "I got to see it once a week, every week, for eighteen months. I think he was hoping that I'd give in on my days of reprieve. I think he wanted me to see it as a way to make the pain stop for good instead just having one day a week where I was given three meals a day and treated like and actual person and not a prisoner."  
"You didn't tell me it was that bad Gabe." Sam said looking up at him.  
"I wanted to forget that it happened Sam." The angel said kissing him softly.  
Castiel picked up the picture of him on his knees before Crowley. At the time he saw no reason to protest being trained like that by the demon. Once he mated with Dean, however, he became ashamed of those skills and refused to use them on his mate. Crowley had called him the perfect little slut for his talents and it made Castiel fear what Dean would say. A warm hand reached out and carefully took the picture from his hand.  
"Was that a common thing?" Dean asked him softly.  
Castiel nodded. "At the time I saw no reason to say no even though I didn't really want to do it. I didn't dare to hope that we could have worked out things between us. Now...Now I am ashamed of what I learned from him.  
Dean frowned. "You said we...Meaning you and I?"  
Castiel nodded. "I made a mistake. The only way to save myself was to accept the contract. When you found out you were furious. I thought you hated me. Instead you hated what I had been reduced to. You told me once you wanted me to be the old Cas. The one you remembered me being before I became Crowley's slave. I didn't understand then that you wanted me to be the Cas that you fell in love with and not the one that kneeling at a demon's feet and being treated like a prized dog."  
"He really treated you that bad?"  
"Gabriel had it worse. Crowley made him eat out of dog dishes as a punishment."  
The Nephilim made a face at that. "That's disgusting. I didn't know he could be so cruel. So all of this is from that time? You two were there together?"  
"No." Gabriel said. "I ended up taking Cassie's place after I did something that I shouldn't have. I ended up poisoned and tortured for the following nineteen and a half months."  
"Why so long? Why didn't the other angels try and save you or something?" Dean asked. "Dad said they protect their own and never go anywhere alone."  
"Because other then Castiel no other angels know I'm alive. No one had a reason to look for a dead angel. Cassie and Sammich along with yourself told me not to come back for a while. By the time you realized that something was wrong it was already too late for me." Gabriel said. "But we're better now. We've come out from this stronger as a family."  
"A family..." Dean whispered looking down at the pictures. "And I was a part of this family?"  
"You still are." Sam said. "You're my brother. My big brother."  
"You are the son I always wanted. You and Sam both." Bobby said with a gruff smile  
"You are the son that I desperately wanted once more." Gabriel said softly.  
Castiel gently placed his hand over Dean's. ^You are my soul mate. The one who matters to me above everyone else.^  
Dean stared down at the pictures. They were his family. They were alive and not burned up in a car crash. His family were angels and hunters. He was a hunter. He had a brother and a mate. Crowley had lied. But did he really lie about everything?  
Dean held up the dvd. "Do you want to see what's on this?"  
Gabriel stood and took it from him. The blonde took it and placed it in the dvd player and grabbed the remote for it and the tv before returning to his seat. He hesitated before turning on the tv and pressing the play button. The first images that came up were dealing with Castiel and his time as Crowley's slave. Then it turned darker, going into the sexual acts and then whipping. The last bit of it all took place in the cellar with the angel seemingly ill and the demon continuing his abuse and escalating it even when it was clear that Castiel couldn't take anymore. Castiel's screams were heartbreaking to the four in the room that cold hear them. It made Dean glad that he couldn't hear.  
The screen darkened and came back the camera turning on seconds before it showed Gabriel tumbling, head over heels down a set of concrete stairs. The angel landed rather awkwardly and his leg was trapped under him with a sickening snap. The scream that rang out made the audio go haywire and the screen to turny snowy for a minute before the Gabriel on the screen seemed to pull himself together, crawling across the floor. Crowley entered a few moments later wearing an evil grin.  
 _^"How does it feel Gabriel?"  
"Feels like I broke it. Thanks for asking." The angel snarked.  
Crowley came over and gave the broken limb a kick sending the angel into screams once more. "If I were you, I'd get used to this pain Gabriel. They told you to leave. They don't want you any more. If I were you I'd just give in. No one is coming to save you. No one even knows you're here!" The demon said with glee.  
Gabriel glared. "They'll come for me. They're my family."  
Crowley kicked the angel's leg once more. "Until they do...You're my bitch."^_  
Sam reached up and grabbed the remote and turned off the dvd. There were tears streaming down his face and Gabriel wasn't much better, with the archangel seemingly having a panic attack. He turned and flung himself at Gabriel and the archangel held him tightly. Castiel rushed over to help calm his brother as did Bobby.  
Dean watched them for a moment before getting up and heading down to the beach. They needed family time and right now he felt like anything but family. As he sat down on the beach Fergus curled up next to him and as he did, Dean couldn't explain why he started crying.


	8. Finding Home

**Chapter 8: Finding Home**

Dean wasn't sure how long he sat there on the beach with Fergus, crying into the hell hound but he was brought back to reality when something warm settled over him and he turned and curled into it. It was soft and feathery and almost burning warm. Taking a moment to compose himself he looked up to find Castiel standing over him, one of his large black wings draped over him like a blanket. The angel gave him a small smile and he managed to return it.  
^You've been out here most of the morning. Are you alright Dean?^  
"Yeah. I just...I felt like I was intruding so I came out here. I didn't want to be rude." Dean said softly, giving Fergus a good scratch. "I don't have anywhere else to go so I picked the beach. Seems safe enough to me."  
^You didn't have to leave. You are family.^ Castiel said with a tilt of his head. ^We are supposed to take care of you too.^  
Dean turned and half flopped over the hound, laying on him to better scratch his side. A sudden warm hand against the back of his neck startled him. He wasn't expecting the angel to touch him. The hand traced something on the back of his neck before pulling back. He turned to see Castiel looking at him funny.  
"What's wrong?" Dean asked, a bit worried by the look he was being given.  
^Dean are you aware of the mark on the back of your neck?^ Castiel asked, his voice shaking.  
"You mean my claim mark?" Dean asked. "Dad said he put it there to keep me safe. That no demons would touch me as long as I had it."  
^Claim marks are not done on the back of one's neck.^ Castiel said, his voice sharp. ^They are done near the junction of the neck and shoulder or over the heart. The back of the neck is used for sealing or binding.^  
That had Dean sitting up a bit straighter. "Sealing or binding? Of what?"  
^For example? It can be used to bind someone's memories so they can't access them. A seal can be used to close off a soul mate bond. Like ours.^ Castiel said softly. ^I can reach across to you but I can't feel you. You're there but not. It hurts. It hurts so bad.^  
Green eyes went wide as Castiel suddenly collapsed, the angel's knees giving out. He managed to catch the angel and pulled him close to his chest. He was warmer then Gabriel; far too warm to be normal. Dean knew he couldn't carry the angel back to the house and Fergus couldn't carry them both. That left only one choice even thought he had never used his power to such an extent. Gripping the angel tightly to his chest he shimmered appearing in the living room of the house, his head pounding and something coming from his nose.  
"GABRIEL! GABRIEL! HELP ME!"  
Gabriel appeared suddenly and his gold eyes went wide at the sight of Dean clutching Castiel. He rushed forward and both hands went to grip the younger angel's face, cursing at the heat he felt there. Gabriel pushed his healing energy into Castiel, watching carefully as the flush slowly left his face and his breathing began to even out. Making sure that Castiel was fully stable Gabriel pulled away running is fingers through those ebony locks.  
"I'm sorry Cassie." Gabriel whispered. "You just need to wait a little longer."  
"For what?" Dean snapped, still holding the angel close. "What the hell happened to him?"  
The blonde looked up at Dean, opening his mouth to say something but he closed it and stared at the hunter before reaching out to him and channeling his healing once more. "Your nose is bleeding. What happened?"  
Dean pulled back, wiping his nose on the back of his hand. "Forget me! What the fuck happened to him? One second we were talking and the next he was collapsing!"  
Gabriel looked back at Castiel, who was now in a light healing sleep curled up in Dean's arms. "He's felt nothing come through your soul mate bond in at least six months. His body is seeing it as the loss of a mate. It can be fatal in most cases but yours can be fixed."  
"Then stop talking and fucking fix it!"  
Sam came downstairs in a rush almost tripping. "Gabe! Cas, is he-"  
"He's fine Sam. Just another fever. He collapsed this time." Gabriel said without turning to look as he was busy staring hard at the eldest Winchester. "Dean has him. We should take him upstairs."  
"Want me to get him?" Sam asked coming closer.  
Gabriel turned to look at his mate only to freeze as a silver angel blade blocked his vision. He dimly heard a worried noise from Sam as he turned back to find Dean glaring at him, his eyes black. Gold eyes flicked from the hunter, to the blade, and back. He could sense that Dean was both angry and confused. Angry at him for not listening and confused because he didn't know why he was so angry.  
"Did you not hear me?!"  
Gabriel nodded. "I heard you Dean. You told me to fix it."  
"Then stop staring at me and fucking fix it you bastard!" Dean snapped, his blade moving closer to Gabriel's neck even as he pulled Castiel closer to is own body.  
Sam made a noise and the archangel sent a wave of reassurance to him before answering the irate hunter. "I would love nothing more then to fix it Dean but in doing so I would need your permission because I need to go into your mind to undo the seal."  
"You need to get into my head?" Dean asked skeptically.  
"Yes. Which is why I said that Castiel would have to wait. You don't trust us. We were going to wait until you were more comfortable around us before telling you about the seal and bind." Gabriel explained. "To us you are family Dean, but to you, we are just strangers. We'd wait forever for you to be comfortable if that's what it takes."  
Dean pressed the blade hard against the archangel's neck, nicking the skin slightly and drawing forth blood and Grace and making Sam tense. "Does it fucking look he's got forever?! I can feel his Grace! It's turning sour! He's dying!"  
"I am aware." Gabriel gritted out.  
"He's your brother!"  
"Again I am aware of this."  
"THEN FIX IT!"  
Gabriel's eyes went wide at the force of the power he tasted behind those angry words. Flickering behind Dean was a pair of translucent black wings that were trimmed in gold. As the hunter calmed they began to fade away. A wave of confusion and a questioning came across from Sam and he sent back his own matching emotions. The blade bit again and Gabriel forced himself to focus on the problem.  
"If you want me to fix this then you have to trust me. I'm going to need to kiss you to let my Grace connect with your bond to Castiel. Is this acceptable?" The archangel asked softly.  
"Will it fix him?" Dean asked taking a second to glance down at the sleeping angel who's face was currently buried in his chest.  
"It won't fix the whole problem but it will help." Gabriel said softly once he was sure the hunter was looking at him again. "It won't be fixed until you have your memories back entirely. I can do this today and the bind tomorrow."  
Dean pulled the blade away. "Then do it. Now."  
The blonde turned to look at his mate who seemed quite relieved that he was out of danger. The youngest Winchester nodded, knowing that his mate was asking if it was okay to kiss his brother. If it saved both Cas and Dean then the angel could do the naked tango with them if that's what it took. Gabriel let out a chuckle and Sam realized that Gabriel had picked up on that thought and he flushed. Shaking his head the angel turned back to Dean, who was staring at Castiel with a worried look.  
Gabriel leaned forward and carefully pressed his lips against Dean's and let his Grace slip in. To his shock Dean suddenly grabbed him and deepened the kiss. Gabriel tried not to let it distract him but instead focused on breaking down the seal. It took a bit longer then he would have liked because, let's face it, it's hard to focus when someone is trying to remove your tonsils with their tongue. With one final hit with his Grace the seal that Crowley had erected fell.  
Dean pulled back so suddenly from their kiss that the archangel lost his balance and almost face planted. Getting up Gabriel's gold eyes sought Dean's only to find them locked on Castiel. The hunter was staring at Castiel with a look of wonder and awe. He reached up and his fingers gently ran along the angel's cheek before coming down to gently touch his lips. Dean looked up at Gabriel and Sam, who was now sitting behind the archangel.  
"He...He loves me." Dean said, his voice soft and slightly confused. "He really loves me."  
"He loves you so much that he became a slave to Crowley just to live and be able to see you." Sam said. "He's died for you twice and I'm sure he'd do it again if you asked."  
Dean looked back down at his mate, smiling softly before it turned to a frown. "Take down the binding. Now. I have to know. I need to know."  
"I can't right now." Gabriel said, leaning back against Sam. "As sloppy as it was the seal was still a strong one. I need to rest first. Just let me eat and take a quick nap. I will take it down then. I promise."  
Dean nodded. "He'll be better now right?"  
Gabriel nodded. "You'll have to let him know the bond is open. He might overwhelm you a bit at first but just be careful with him. He's waking up."  
Dean turned to look only to find sleepy blue eyes looking at him. "Hey. You okay? No more scaring me like that. I almost had a heart attack when you collapsed."  
Castiel shook his head. "I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting my fever to spike suddenly." The angel went to move then he seemed to realize his position. "You're holding me."  
Dean nodded. ^Can you hear me? Am I doing this right?^  
Castiel's eyes went wide and he stiffened in the hunter's embrace. ^Dean? Is this real?^  
^Yeah. Gabriel said this could save you. He actually said that it would help.^ Dean admitted and he reached up ad cupped the angel's cheek. ^I can't believe that you love me. It feels wonderful.^  
Castiel suddenly leaned up and kissed Dean hard, much to the hunter's shock, but soon Dean was kissing back just as fiercely. It was only when Dean began pulling at Castiel's clothes that either of them seemed to remember where they were, as they were startled by Sam's sudden cry of protest. Castiel flushed and hid his face at the sound while Dean smirked when he realized why they had stopped kissing. Gripping his angel tightly Dean lifted him into his arms as if he weighted nothing.  
^Where is your room?^  
^Upstairs. Second on the right.^ Castiel said softly, resting against his mate.  
Dean nodded and carried him up to the bedroom. Laying the angel down Dean joined him on the bed, kissing him once more but making no moves to further their engagements. Instead the hunter laid next to him, their kisses gentle, and explored their bond. Castiel let him, resting beside him and hiding nothing, letting out his wings to cover them both. It was several hours before either of them spoke again.  
^This is amazing.^ Dean whispered. ^You weren't lying. You really are my mate.^  
^And you are mine. Thank you for doing this for me. You didn't have too.^ Castiel said.  
^It felt right. Just like when I kissed you.^ Dean admitted. ^You make me feel good things. And I feel this pull to you. I felt it since I first saw you. It's what made me approach you in New Orleans.^  
^I'm glad you did. I've missed you. I know you still aren't my Dean yet but you are here and that is all that matters to me.^ Castiel said softly, curling up to his mate.  
^Tomorrow...Tomorrow I will be. Gabriel will undo the bind. For now you should rest. You still taste sour. I'll stay with you.^  
Castiel nodded and curled up against his mate. Their bond was open and filled with warmth. It didn't feel the same as before but it was still Dean. Dean was with him again and that was all that mattered. Closing his eyes Castiel began to drift, comforted by the presence of his mate.  
SSSSS  
Sam stared at his brother, watching as Dean fidgeted nervously in the circle he was in before looking around the room. Gabriel was kneeling next to Dean, drawing out the lines need to undo the bind. Bobby was standing next to Castiel, who was sitting in a comfortable chair. The angel was feeling better but his worry for Dean had spiked his fever once more so his brother had told him in no uncertain terms that if he was going to be present then he was going to have to sit. Castiel had glared but given in not wanting to let Dean go through it alone. Sam eyes went back to watching his brother who was now holding his nose as the archangel poured something onto the floor.  
"You alright Dean?" Sam asked.  
"No. This shit stinks. The hell did it come from? A sewer full of dead skunks?" Dean asked.  
"I don't smell anything that horrible. It actually smells nice." Sam said with a frown.  
"Frankincense and myrrh oils." Gabriel said dumping more of it onto the circle. "It makes demons uneasy. Doesn't smell good to them but it works the best for this. I'll make it up to you with a fresh pie of your choice."  
Dean stopped moving. "No joke? Fresh pie? Like home made?"  
"Yup." Gabriel said stepping back to double check his work. "Okay. Everything is set. Now whatever you do, don't fight what you feel. Just go with it. If you fight it will hurt. Just stay calm and remember that we won't let anything happen to you okay?"  
Dean nodded and his gaze drifted to Castiel. "Okay. I'm ready."  
Gabriel nodded and began speaking in a language that not even Castiel could understand. As he did he threw a handful of something green down onto the lines. The oils began to spark and blue smoke rose up and began to curl around the hunter. Dean gagged a bit at the smell before everything began to slowly blur. Time seemed to slow down and Dean felt weightless until he started feeling hot and his memories crashed into him like a bug on a windshield.  
 _^*"Dean! Take your brother and go!"*  
*"Dad's been on a hunting trip for a few days and he hasn't been home."*  
*"Come on Sammy!"*  
*"Whatever Bitch.  
"Jerk.*  
*You can't die Sammy. Come on! Don't do this!*  
*"I love you boys like you are my own flesh and blood. Even if you are idjits."*  
*"Who are you?"  
"My name is Castiel. I am the one who gripped you tight and raised you from Perdition.*  
*"Maybe you've always been an angel."  
"A what?!"  
"You step out of the holy fire and we'll call it our mistake."*^  
*"This isn't about some prized fight between your brothers or some destiny that can't be stopped! This about you being too afraid to stand up to your family!*^_  
Dean fell to his knees, the back of his neck burned like fire, his head was pounding, blood rushed from his nose and tears flowed from his eyes. Everything hurt. He remembered and now he felt sick to his stomach. He was going to throw up. It was too much. Just like before. He felt something get pushed under him just in time to catch the contents of his stomach.  
Finally done throwing up he shoved whatever it was and someone, thankfully, took it away. He felt so ashamed. He left to protect them and they ended up having to save him because he was careless. Looking up he found them watching him with hope and worry. He hadn't mean to make them worry or put his mate through hell.  
"Guys...Sammy, Cas, Bobby, Gabe. I...I'm sorry. I...I never should have left."  
"None of that matters now Dean-o. Al that matters is that you're home." Gabriel said. "You're back with your family."  
Dean reached out was quickly engulfed in by his brother and mate with his father figure and adopted father both placing a hand tightly on his shoulders. He knew nothing was okay yet. It probably wouldn't be okay for a while not with Crowley chasing him. At this moment nothing else mattered because he was home.


	9. Pretty Colors and Forbidden Stones

**Chapter 9: Pretty Colors and Forbidden Stones**

Sam burst into laughter at the show they were watching, something about the world's stupidest criminals or something. It was just something to watch while the four of them ate dinner since Bobby had returned home. Gabriel couldn't care less. His golden gaze was fixed on the two bodies laying on the sofa. Dean was flat on his back sans shirt with Castiel, also topless, draped over him like an angel blanket. It had been three days since Dean's memories had been returned to him and the hunter was still a bit skittish, his new powers effecting him more then he cared to admit. That wasn't what had Gabriel staring at them though.  
Dean had refused to be more then a few feet from his mate at all times. They were also always touching. While before Castiel had seemed uncomfortable with the demon part of his mate, he now accepted it without question, never shying away from the hunter's touch or startling at the sight of his black eyes. Their bond with each other remained wide open with the two unwilling to close it. It was actually helping Castiel get his Grace stabilized more quickly then he would have thought possible.  
What had Gabriel staring was the raw power that Dean was putting out in his relaxed state. It was damn near enough to rival his own power. There was nothing wrong with that but since he knew Sam couldn't feel it, much less fathom it, it just left him awestruck. Then there was the fact that the hunter wielded it with such grace and precision that he had seen only Michael, Lucifer, and himself use it like that before. Like right now? Dean was unconsciously using his power to heal, actually heal, Castiel's Grace from it's waning state.  
It made Gabriel wonder what the eldest Winchester's power would be like if he let it grow and was properly trained to use it. As it was Gabriel was glad that he was an archangel. The brush of power that was hanging around the two was enough to make any supernatural being's mouth water. As it was he couldn't even focus on the show they were watching because he was too entranced by watching the flow of energy around the mated pair. It was beautiful and a bit frightening.  
"Stop it Gabe."  
Gabriel blinked as Dean turned to face him. "What?"  
"Stop staring. I can feel you looking at us. If you take a picture it'll last longer." Dean said, a twinkle in his eye.  
Gabriel gave him a smirk. "Well if you weren't throwing around such pretty colors over there then I wouldn't be forced to stare at you."  
"Pretty colors?" Sam asked turning to look at them. "I don't see anything."  
"You wouldn't. It's something that I can do that's bit different from my brothers. When most try to see the energy that flows around things they see the lines of power." Gabriel said. "I see it differently. I don't see lines. I see colors. Father once told me it was because of my healing power. That I needed to be able to see the hurt to heal it. Some humans have that power to. They call it aura seeing."  
"So you can see the colors of peoples souls?" Sam asked. "I thought that was a myth."  
"Not a myth. Just very rare. Most can only see one color at a time. Me? When I chose to look I can see everything. Each color is not only power but emotion. It makes reading people a snap but it leaves me exhausted when I do it for extended periods of time. Watching Dean-o over there is like watching a kaleidoscope on acid. Hence pretty colors." Gabriel said with a grin.  
"I didn't realize I was throwing around colors." Dean said. "I was just wanting Cas to get better."  
"I am feeling better Dean." Castiel said softly, looking up at him with sleepy blue eyes.  
"It's still sour. Not like before but it's still there." Dean said with a frown. "I don't like it."  
"What do you mean it's sour?" Sam asked. "Are you able to feel Cas's Grace?"  
"Not only Cas. I can feel everyone. Gabriel is lit up like a damn shopping mall Christmas tree. You have dark traces in you. I'm guessing it's from the demon blood." Dean said, turning to look at them both. "It's odd looking."  
Gabriel let out a laugh. "Wow. You can really see all that? I'm impressed. You power is beyond anything I've ever heard of Dean. I wonder just what else you'd be capable of. It's a shame we won't get to see it grow."  
Cas turned to look at Dean once more. "You didn't tell them?"  
Dean shook his head. "Not yet. I was waiting for you to get better." He said kissing the top of his angel's head. "Besides I haven't really decided but it would be nice."  
"What would?" Sam asked.  
Dean was silent. He looked away and refused to answer. Cas shifted uncomfortably on him and Dean ran his hand along the angel's back soothing him. With a sigh the eldest Winchester turned to face them. He seemed like he was fighting over telling them what he knew.  
"I'm thinking about staying like this." Dean admitted. "I know it sounds strange but I like it. It also has some nice perks. Like I won't age. I'm damn near impossible to kill. Not to fond of the nose bleeds but that will fade once I can use my powers a bit better. Cas and I have been talking about it for the past two days. I haven't made my choice yet though."  
"You sure about this Dean?" Sam asked, a bit shocked.  
Dean nodded. "Yeah. I know it's not something I would have chosen for myself but now that it's done I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth."  
"Wow. How do you know you won't age?"  
"Because I've talked to someone. Someone who I know I can trust about this. I wish I could say more but I can't. Once I call him again he said he'll let me know where I can get a book on being a Nephilim for me. Cas and I are going to look over it before we really decide anything."  
Gabriel frowned and looked at his brother. "You're okay with this Cassie?"  
The smile that lit up Castiel's face could have powered a small city. "Yes. We've talked about it. I'm fine with it."  
Gabriel looked down at Sam. The youngest hunter was staring at his brother with mixed emotions. It seemed that Sam wanted his brother to be happy but wasn't sure what to think about his choice of keeping his power. He reach down and slipped his finger's into Sam's hair, letting him know that he was there. The shock of what Sam was upset about threw him. Sam wasn't upset about Dean's choice. Sam was upset because he realized that he would continue to grow old and one day die leaving his mate alone.  
Gabriel kissed him softly. ^I love you.^  
Sam nodded. ^I love you too. I don't want to leave you alone.^  
Gabriel smiled into those brunette strands that he loved so much. ^You won't. I won't let you.^  
"Hey! You're back!" Dean said shifting. "Let me go grab it real quick okay Cas?"  
Cas let Dean up, watching as he went over to the glass door to let in the hell hound. He watched as his mate gave the hound a good scratch before he took the small bag that it was holding. Dean seemed to genuinely care for the beast and the beast seemed to be equally loyal to him. Turning around Dean smiled as he pulled open the bag and looked inside. Grinning Dean looked up at them.  
"Who wants to play 'Let's Screw Crowley Over!' with me?" Dean asked with a grin.  
"My favorite pastime." Gabriel said sitting up a bit more. "What's the game for today?"  
"It's called 'The Nephilim has the Stone'." Dean said with a grin.  
"What stone?" Sam asked.  
Dean motioned him over. "Here. You're human. You can hold it. Hold out your hands."  
Sam held out his hands and Dean pulled out something from the bag that was wrapped in black velvet. With a grin he placed the velvet in his brother's hands. Sam frowned at the weight of the object which was extremely heavy for it's small size. Carefully he unwrapped the velvet to reveal a shining diamond. Sam couldn't help stare at it, transfixed as it seemed to be swirling with colors.  
He looked up at Dean who was grinning. "Neat right?"  
"It's beautiful. What is it?"  
Gabriel came over and looked at the stone. "That is the Paradiso Stone. It was hidden by Michael to keep Lucifer from using it. How the hell did you find it?"  
"I can walk through walls." Dean said with a smile, going to sit back down with Castiel. "Literally. I can walk into hell, heaven, anywhere with no problems. Crowley said that it's because I don't belong to any of them."  
"And he wanted you to find the Stone? Why?" Sam asked. "What is it used for?"  
Dean turned to Gabriel. "What is it used for? I never was told."  
"Whoever holds the Stone doesn't gain anything." Gabriel said. "It's purpose it to make those that follow the Stone's owner stronger. Say if I was leading an army against Crowley then I wouldn't gain any power holding the Stone. My army on the other hand would be stronger, faster, tougher, and generally have much the honor of being bad asses."  
"Wow. This little thing?" Sam asked holding it up. "So why can humans hold it but you can't?"  
"Humans don't have the power to wield it. There is also a catch. Once you pick it up, that's it. You're done it bonds itself to your power. You can't put it back down. The only way it's leaving your hand is if you get killed." Gabriel said. "Michael was afraid Lucifer would use it during the war and hid it in a different place then the Vault."  
"Well now we need to hide it again cause I won't put it back." Dean said. "I refuse to make a return trip."  
"Do I want to know where this was?" Gabriel asked suddenly looking up at Dean.  
"No. You really don't." The hunter replied looking quite grim.  
"Okay then. Pocket dimension it is." The archangel said waving his hand and opening what looked like a hole in space. "Go ahead and drop it in Sam. It's safe."  
Sam carefully wrapped the stone back up and eased it into the space and let go of it. Pulling his hand back Sam watched as it slid closed hiding the Stone once more. Thinking it over Sam came to wonder about what would happen now. Dean was back, they had what Crowley was seeking, and Cas was on the mend. Still he wondered just how safe they really were. Would Crowley still seek them out because of Dean and the Stone?  
"Guys...What if Crowley comes looking for Dean to help him find the Stone?" Sam asked. "I mean we can't exactly give Dean to him but if he doesn't get his way then he's just going to try to hurt one of us to make Dean find it for him. I don't really feel like being at his mercy again."  
"Already on it Sammy." Dean said, tossing the bag to him.  
Sam opened it and pulled out a nearly identical stone. The only difference between the two was the weight. He looked it over and realized exactly what he was looking at. He looked up at his brother with a grin on face.  
"You made this didn't you?"  
"Yup. The only thing is that I need a way to power it up. I figured that we have the best power source in the world right here." Dean said rather smugly.  
Gabriel glared. "Do I look like a battery?"  
"Not you! The lay lines! I figure if we could channel enough energy into the stone we can make a dummy that feels like the real thing. Then I can give that to Crowley." Dean said. "Along with my resignation as Prince of Hell."  
"Sounds good in theory but do you think it will actually work?" Sam asked turning the fake stone in his hands.  
"Won't know till we try." Gabriel said taking the fake stone. "But I can use my power to channel the energy you need into this. Won't take long. Just about fifteen minutes."  
"Let me give the stone to Crowley." Sam said softly, causing his mate to look up at him sharply.  
"No way. I am not letting you anywhere near Crowley. Not after he threatened to rape you." Gabriel said. "I am not chancing you."  
"He doesn't scare me." The younger hunter said. "I just want to make sure that he takes what he wants and goes. I don't want him in our lives anymore."  
"Sam..."  
"Don't give me that look. Puppy eyes don't work on me. Look if nothing else Crowley has absolutely no use for me unlike everyone else. I'm only human. Please let me go. Let me take the stone." Sam said softly. "I want to help."  
Dean let out a sigh and stood walking over to the two. He picked up the fake stone from the archangel and passed it to his brother. Sam started at it for a moment confused. Looking back up at Dean he realized that his brother was giving him his blessing to take the stone. He smiled at Dean and his brother mouthed the word 'bitch' at him and he mouthed the word 'jerk' back. With a chuckle Dean went back to sit with his mate once more. That just left Gabriel's answer so he turned to face his mate with a pleading look.  
The archangel let out a heavy sigh and pulled Sam down to kiss him. "If I let you do this then you had better come back in one piece Samsquatch. I mean it. I don't want to have to pull out a paddle."  
Sam flushed at the implication of the statement which sent Dean into a fit of laughter. Gabriel took the stone and headed outside with it to start filling it with power, and Fergus trailed after the angel, content to watch. Sam turned back to Dean only to find that he had pulled Castiel close to his chest once more and was leaning back on the sofa with his eyes closed. Deciding it bet to ask his question later, Sam followed after the archangel and the hell hound.  
SSSSS  
Sam nervously waited next to the Impala, splitting his time between glancing around and looking at his watch. He was completely alone, well almost if one didn't count the hell hound sitting next to him. Dean, Gabriel, and Cas were far enough away that they couldn't be sensed and it was far enough that Sam couldn't hear his mate very well over their bond. He had wanted to meet the demon on his terms and this was as close to that as he could get. Looking down at his watch he noticed that Crowley was almost late. If he didn't show soon then Sam was going to call him and let him know that the deal was off.  
"You really wouldn't do that would you?"  
Sam looked up with a glare at the demon, who was looking rather smug in his bespoke suit. "Yes I would. I'm not like my brother."  
"Speaking of, where is my son? Or my two play toys for that matter?" Crowley asked, his smug smile growing.  
Sam frowned and turned to open the door to the Impala. "Come on Fergus. Let's go home. It's clear that all he wants to do is play games."  
The hell hound growled and Sam's wrist was suddenly captured in a tight grip. Crowley was staring at him hard and Sam met his gaze, not at all intimidated by the King of Hell. Sam heard Fergus take a step and Sam put out a hand hoping that the beast would listen to him. Crowley raised an eyebrow at the action so the hunter could only assume it worked.  
"Dean told him to rip your arms off if you touched me. I don't know how well he'll listen to me so I would recommend letting me go."  
Crowley backed off. "I knew I should never have given that stupid boy the beast. I didn't know that damn thing would fall in love him."  
Sam smiled. "That's Dean for you. He always did want a dog."  
Crowley glared. "Glad I could fulfill his dream. Now do you have what I want or not?"  
"I do." The brunette admitted. "But you need to sign something first. A contract."  
The Scotsman started at him before laughing. "You're joking right?"  
Sam turned to get in the car once more.  
"Wait! Fine. Let me look at it."  
With a grin the youngest Winchester pulled out the rolled up set of papers from his jacket and passed them to the demon. He leaned back watching the emotions dance across the face of the Hell King as he read over the papers. Sam knew each and every word on it since he had written it himself. Even his family didn't know what was on it as he had asked Gabriel for the paper and then locked himself in the library to write out the contract. The demon finally looked up at him, his brown eyes cold but resigned.  
"You're serious then. I guess you want me to sign this before you give me the stone. What happens if I decide I don't want to sign it?" He asked waving the papers around.  
"Then I give the Stone to Fergus and he takes it to Dean who put it right back where he found it with both Gabriel and Castiel sealing it away this time." Sam said pulling out the small bag from inside the Impala. "So if you really want this then I want it signed by you, in blood. Both copies if you will."  
With a glare the demon laid the papers down on the hood of the Impala and pulled out a knife and a pen. Making a cut on his thumb Crowley dipped the pen in the blood and signed his name to both sheets of paper. Grinning Sam took the bottom copy and gave the demon the top one. Rolling it up he placed it back in his jacket and pulled the Stone out of the bag and showed it the demon.  
"Here it is." Sam said before wrapping it back up and placing it back in the bag. "It's all yours."  
Crowley grabbed for the bag and Sam held it just out of his reach. The King of Hell looked confused, it was quiet cute to see. With a sudden evil look, that would have made Lucifer proud, Sam grabbed the demon by his tie and pulled him close. He slammed his lips hard against the demon's kissing him hard and not caring about the demon's comfort. If his noises were anything to go by he wasn't liking it at all. Glad he was making Crowley uncomfortable he pulled away, his teeth catching the demon's bottom lip and biting hard until the he could taste blood and heard a sharp cry of pain. Pulling back from the kiss, Sam spit on the blood on the ground and wiped the blood from his mouth.  
"What in the hell did you do that for?" Crowley snapped, blood running down his chin.  
Sam grinned, he had bit the demon harder then he thought. "I was just sealing our contract. Isn't that how you seal a contract with a demon? With a kiss?"  
"Yes but demons don't try to rip off someone's lips!" The demon snapped as he struggled to stop the bleeding.  
Sam grabbed the demon by the tie once more and shoved him hard against the Impala, fire blazing in his green eyes. "Just be glad I only bit you once instead of three times you bastard. That was pay back for you doing the same thing to Cas, Gabe, and Dean. Doesn't feel to nice being on the receiving end does it?"  
For the first time in a long time Crowley felt a tingle of fear. The look in Sam Winchester's eyes was one that promised more then just pain. Not too sure why he was doing it he nodded and the hunter released him. Stepping away from the car he was graced with the black bag being shoved hard against his chest making him let out a pained noise. With a smirk Sam got into the car with a wave, sending the hell hound running into the darkness. With a grin he started it, putting it into gear and floored it, spraying the demon with dirt and gravel as he went.  
Crowley watched at the car faded into the darkness before shuddering. He could see now why the boy was Lucifer's vessel. Sam Winchester had a streak of vengeance in him more then a mile wide, not to mention a darker side. He found it ironic that he had faced down demons of all types, angels, and even an archangel, but he was more afraid of a simple human then he was all of them combined. Gripping the bag tightly he was suddenly glad that he had signed the contract. He wasn't sure he was up to dealing with Sam Winchester's personal brand of revenge.


	10. Deals and Betrayals

**Chapter 10: Deals and Betrayals**

Dean and Castiel sat in the far corner of the bar a bottle of their strongest booze being split between them. Dean would lean over every once in a while and steal a kiss, making the angel flush. Taking another drink Dean looked around waiting for his contact to show up. He would have been alone but with Castiel's Grace still tasting a bit on the sour side, he hadn't wanted to leave him mate alone for too long. A grin spilt his face as he saw the shorter male walk into the bar clutching his messenger bag. Dean waved him over and the man took a seat with a grin.  
"I thought you were coming alone." He said glancing around.  
Dean shook his head. "I would have but our bond had been closed for so long that his body started to react. His Grace started turning sour. I've been slowly fixing it but it still tastes wrong so I brought him with. He won't say anything."  
The other man looked impressed. "You've managed to be able to control your energy to such an extent already? You're moving along faster then I thought you would."  
Dean shrugged and pulled a very confused Castiel closer. "What can I say? I'm a quick study. Can you tell me if Cas is really getting better?"  
The other eyed the angel for a minute. "Yeah. He's getting better. It'll go a bit quicker if the two of you become intimate."  
Castiel flushed at that and Dean kissed his cheek. "We haven't really done that since I changed. Like I told you I was afraid of hurting him with the demon side of me. Won't that hurt him?"  
"Not at all. If you weren't mated then yes it could be very painful for him. Your bond to him is what keeps him safe. He just had to get used to the new feeling." The man turned to look at Castiel. "You feel better with his touches now right?"  
Castiel nodded, his flush growing. "Yes I am. And I would be very happy to do more. I have a question though. Why do you know so much about-"  
"SO! You got my book right?" Dean asked, cutting off his mate, who glared at him.  
"Yup." The messenger bag was opened and medium sized book was pulled out and placed before him. "You'll have to get Castiel to help you with it. Some of it is in Enochian."  
"And this will tell me everything?" Dean asked taking the book.  
"Yes. I made sure of it myself. Now about the other thing you asked me. I'm sorry but there can't be more then one Nephilim at a time. Any more then that would be disastrous. So no, I can't allow it to happen. I'm sorry."  
Dean visibly deflated at that and he looked away only to look back when a hand was waved in front of his face.  
"I do have another option for you though." He said with a big grin as he slid a folded piece of paper across the table.  
Dean picked it up and read it and his head snapped up in shock to look at the other man. "You serious? You'd let that happen for me?"  
The man nodded. "After everything you've done I figured that it was time you were rewarded for your hard work and suffering. You'll need two of them to do it and I have the perfect two." Another, larger paper was slid to the hunter. "I've already gone and talked to them both and they've agreed to help with what I've promised them. This paper has everything you need to know on what to do. You will have to wait at least a few more days because I have to make a new vessel for one and repair the other vessel to make sure it will last him."  
Dean nodded as he read over the paper until he came to the end. "Holy shit! I can do that?"  
"Yes you can. You aren't bound by the same laws because you and neither angel or demon. You are both that have been merged and brought together in a human body. Nearly every law there is on every single plain doesn't apply to you because you don't belong to any of them. Now do you see why I can only allow one of you to exist?"  
"Yeah. One is more then enough." Dean agreed. "How long do you think it will take to get everything ready and is there anything that I can help with?"  
"No. I can handle it. It's shouldn't take more then a few days at most. I'll call you when everything is done." The man suddenly looked grim. "Dean I don't think I have to tell you this but I will anyway because I consider you my friend. One of the few that I have. I know that you are going to do this without talking to either of them first. I also know exactly what you are planning to carry this out. They are both not only going to be pissed with you but they won't want to see you for a long time after this."  
The Nephilim frowned and pulled his angel closer. "They can be mad at me all they want. If Cas can become a slave for love, if Gabe can poison some he loves to save them, and Sam can face down the demon that molested all three of us to make sure he won't do it again, then why can't I drug my brother-in-law and kidnap my brother to make sure we all can be happy together?"  
"You are willing to risk the anger of two archangels then? Because once this ritual is done that what they will be. Two very pissed off archangels." The man said grimly. "They might just banish you for a few decades."  
Castiel frowned and looked up at Dean. "Are you willing to risk that?"  
Dean thought about it. "You'll stay with me and be by my side right?"  
The angel nodded.  
"Then as long as I have my soul mate at my side I can handle it." Dean said. "They'll forgive me for it because I'm doing it for love. Something that Gabriel said to never regret doing."  
The man sighed and shook his head. "This is why humans became my favorite. Now...Let me do one more thing for you. Something that Gabriel should have been doing since you woke up. And don't think I won't let him hear about this either. He is going to be in serious trouble for not fixing you up."  
Leaning forward the man placed his softly glowing hands on either side of Dean's face. He gently positioned his thumbs on Dean's cheek bones and placed his index fingers right in front of his ear canal and his middle and ring fingers right behind his ears. With a smile he began to rub his fingers in small circles, massaging the area in front of and behind his non-functioning ears. Dean's eyes slid closed as the warmth spread from those fingers and into his head.  
The warmth seemed to swirl around inside his head, leaving tingles behind everywhere it touched. Then very slowly it pulled back leaving Dean feeling dazed and feeling slightly giddy. He gave the man across from him a goofy grin and he responded with a soft smile. Castiel, who had pulled away from Dean when the man had reached out to him, was watching in shock. The man sat back with a pleased grin.  
"How does that feel Dean?"  
"It feels-" Dean paused his eyes wide. "Holy shit! You fixed me! I can hear!"  
The man nodded. "It was the least I could do for you Dean. Now, take Castiel, go home, and wait for my call. Once I do you know what you will need to do."  
Dean nodded and stood, puling Castiel with him. The angel moulded himself to his mate, hugging him tightly. The Nephilim pulled out his wallet and threw down some money. With a grin he picked up the book and passed it to his angel. Castiel took it with a smile. Grinning they both waved goodbye to the man sitting at the booth.  
"Have fun you two!" The man called. "Enjoy yourselves!"  
Dean gave him a naughty smile. "We will! I'll be waiting for your call Chuck!"  
Chuck watched them go with a sad smile. "Oh Dean I sure hope you know the heartache you are setting yourself up for. Oh well. Time to go make a couple of bodies ready for their archangel souls."  
SSSSS  
Gabriel frowned as he laid out the last of dinner on the table. He wasn't sure what made Dean request a Thanksgiving style family dinner but he had and of course Gabriel had done it, loving the excuse to cook. Six days ago Dean had gotten a call from his 'contact' and had gone to pick up the book that he had been promised. Since then the couple had made themselves scarce, showing up only to grab some food before disappearing. It was suspicious.  
Sam wrapped his arms around his angel from behind and rested his chin on top of his head. "Relax. I'm sure that Cas and Dean have just been buy studying the book. Maybe he found out some good news that he wants to tell us."  
"Sorry Sammich. You know me. I always try to expect the worst and hope for the best." Gabriel said softly. "I guess I'm just worried because something doesn't feel right."  
Sam kiss those blonde locks. "Relax Gabe. Just enjoy tonight. I'll go get them."  
"No need. We are here." Cas said coming downstairs with Dean trailing right behind. "It looks wonderful Gabriel."  
That had the archangel smiling. "Just wait till you try it."  
Dean smiled and they took their seats and they all dug in. The four talked about random things while they ate. Dean and Sam regaled the angel with tales of growing up hunters and some of the hunts they went on and in turn the angels told stories of their times in heaven and Gabriel told stories of his times as Loki. There were several times where the four were nearly in tears due to their laughter. Gabriel was reminded of his times in heaven with his brothers and it made him realize that he had truly found the family he so desperately wanted once more.  
When dinner was over Dean had volunteered to clean up and put everything away by himself. Every time Sam tried to help his brother Dean would shoo him away so he had finally given into his brother's wishes and went to sit with his mate and watch television. Less then twenty minutes later Dean brought out a tray with four glasses of champagne on it. He carefully passed the glasses out and then held up his own glass.  
"I'd like to make a toast if you'll let me." Dean said turning to look at Cas.  
"Like you know how to make one." Sam muttered under his breath to Gabriel, drawing a chuckle from the archangel.  
"I heard that." Dean said, never taking his eyes off of his mate.  
Sam's jaw dropped. "Dean?"  
Dean turned to look at them, a grin on his face. "My contact managed to heal me. I can hear again. Now...As I was saying I'd like to make a toast. First I would like to say thank you to you Sam, for being my loving brother and for always believing in me even when I couldn't find in it my heart to believe in myself. I'll always love you Sammy."  
Sam smiled up at his brother. "I love you too Dean. You'll always be my big brother."  
Dean turned to Gabe. "I would like to thank you Gabe, for not only loving my baby brother, but for being there when I needed a father figure in my life, and for helping become what I am today. I wouldn't change any of it for the world. Thank you Gabriel."  
Gabriel gave him a soft smirk and there was the glistening of tears in his eyes. "Thank you as well Dean. I'm glad I got the chance to have you in my life too."  
Dean turned to his mate. "I would also like to thank you Cas. Thank you for dragging my ass from hell and for loving me even when I know I didn't deserve it. You mean more to me then life itself and I don't think I'd be here today if it wasn't for you."  
Dean turned so he was facing everyone. "Here is to family. To those we love and call our own. I am glad to call each of you my family."  
"To family." They all called, taking a drink.  
Dean gave them a small smile. "Hey Gabe I wanted to thank you for teaching me an important lesson that no one else ever taught me."  
Gabriel frowned as he sat his drink down, giving it a funny look. The taste was off. "Dean..."  
"Thank you for teaching me to never regret the actions you carry out for love." Dean said softly. "So you may not forgive me but I will never regret what I'm about to do. I love you all."  
Sam stood, dropping his glass and Gabriel began to sway. "Gabe? Dean what did you do?!"  
Gabriel glared up at his adopted son. "You bastard!"  
Dean dropped his glass to the floor and Castiel stood setting his glass aside. With a sad smile Dean reached down and yanked his brother to his feet, pulling him away from the archangel. Gabriel glared at the hunter and made a grab for his mate but the medicine was taking effect. Sam screamed for his mate as the angel fell to his knees. Dean pulled the handcuffs from his pockets and managed to cuff his brother before passing him off to Castiel, who held the taller with almost no effort.  
Dean kneeled down next to Gabriel, staying just out of reach. "I'm sorry Gabe, but I am doing this for you and Sam. One day you might forgive me for it but just keep in mind that if I was given the choice I would do this again because I love you both. When you wake up tomorrow you can find us in Bonesteel, South Dakota. We'll be waiting for you."  
Gabriel glared and turned his gaze to his mate, sending him a wave of reassurance to his mate before darkness took him. Dean caught the angel and picked him up, placing him on the couch and covering him with a blanket. Pulling out a folded note card from his pocket the hunter placed it on the table where it was sure to be seen. He turned back to find Sam glaring at him despite the tears that were running down his face.  
"What the hell did you do to Gabriel?" Sam spat at his brother.  
The Nephilim turned to look at the angel. "Simple sleeping powder. I've used it on him before. He'll be out for twenty four hours and by then it will be too late."  
Sam felt a spike of fear shoot through him. "What are you going to do to me Dean?"  
"It's nothing bad Sam." Castiel said. "But I won't lie this is going to hurt you quite a bit."  
Dean smiled and reach out to touch Sam only to have his brother pull away from him. "Go ahead and hate me Sammy. I wish I could find another way but this was the best I could do. Cas take him to the site. We don't have much time. I need to head to hell and get our last two participants. Just keep Sam in the cell we set up until I get back. Fergus knows to make sure not to let him escape."  
Castiel nodded and with a rustle he was gone, taking the youngest Winchester with him. Turning to Gabriel once more Dean hesitated. He leaned down and kissed the angel's brow. Standing straight once more he glanced around at the first placed he had called home in a long time. His heart ached with the fact that it would be a long time before he would ever see it again. Casting once final glance at Gabriel, Dean's eyes turned black and he shimmered, disappearing from sight.


	11. Rituals and Banishment

**Chapter 11: Rituals and Banishment**

Dean shimmered, appearing in hell. He frowned and realized that he had been off his mark and tried again. When he appeared this time he was right where he wanted to be. His appearance seemed to shock the two before they realized exactly who was standing before them. The brunette gave them a smile and walked closer to the two.  
"So I was told you both agreed to help me."  
Lucifer and Michael both nodded.  
"Yes. We've agreed to what was asked of us." Michael said. "We were told to give you these first to prove that we are telling you the truth."  
Dean took the two rolls of paper and read over them. It was just as Chuck had said. Both of the archangel had signed the contracts in blood and Grace. They were bound to their contracts. Grinning like a loon he rolled them both up and tucked the papers into his inner jacket pocket.  
"So you both know the plan right?"  
"We are going to go back in time once we leave and then head to the location of your choosing to get our vessels and perform the ritual." Lucifer said. "I must say that I never expected this from you Dean Winchester. From your brother maybe."  
Dean's eyes flashed black. "Can't help it. I embraced the little demon inside me."  
Michael flinched at that. "So you didn't take the cure."  
"Nope. I like being this way. So now who wants to go first?" Dean asked rolling up his sleeves with a smile. "I warn you it may hurt a lot."  
Lucifer and Michael turned to look at each other. With a small smile Michael motioned for his younger brother to go first. Lucifer cocked his head at that giving the eldest an odd look. When the shorter blonde motioned to the Cage, Lucifer understood his brother's choice. Lucifer had been down here longer and thus Michael was letting him out first.  
Nodding Lucifer stepped up to the bars of the Cage. He watched as the hunter's hand slipped through the bars and and gripped onto his shoulder tightly. The devil could feel the ripple of the Nephilim's power surge through him and he was shocked by the strength of it. As Dean began to pull him forward he felt a burning sensation rip through him and he couldn't help but scream. It felt like he was being burned, torn apart, drowned, and crushed all at once. It stopped as suddenly as it started and he was aware of Michael screaming his name.  
"I'm..." He couldn't find the will to finish his sentence, to busy on focusing on fighting off the echos of the pain he had felt.  
There was a warmth that filled, angelic healing. Lucifer looked up, not realizing that he had been laying on the ground, and found the eldest Winchester looking at him questioningly. He gave the hunter a shaky nod and he was left sitting on the hard stone while the hunter reached into the Cage once more. Dean's hand closed over Michael's shoulder and he pulled the First Born through the bars of the Cage sending him into screams. Lucifer winced. If he had screamed the same way Michael was then he could see why his brother had been worried.  
Dean released the archangel and he fell to the ground struggling to catch his breath. "Are you and Adam both okay in there?" The Nephilim asked, running a hand over the panting angel.  
"Yeah. I had him wrapped in my Grace. He didn't feel anything. I think I scared him though." Michael admitted. "Who taught you to heal?"  
"No one." The brunette admitted. "I just focus on what I want done and I just do it somehow."  
Michael turned to look at Lucifer, who was staring at the hunter. He was stronger then they thought he'd be. He had no training but he was able to control his power with no effort and pure precision. Maybe once things were settled once more they could train him properly. Right now they had more important things to do. Standing Lucifer was pleased to find that he was pain free and there was no ill effects from Dean using his power. Going over to the two he helped pull Michael to his feet.  
"Are you well?" Lucifer asked, trying not to show too much concern.  
"I'm fine. I didn't expect such pain." Michael admitted. "Now we should go. We have much to do. I would rather not face Gabriel's wrath any time soon."  
"He'll be unconcious for twenty four hours. Which is why we need to head for this date and time." Dean said handing Michael a piece of paper with an address, date, and time on it. "Can we do it?"  
Showing the paper to Lucifer he nodded. "Yes we can. Lucifer will have to be the one to transport you back. You are still my true vessel. I would rather not risk it."  
Dean nodded and Lucifer clasped a hand on his shoulder and they were gone. When they appeared in the warehouse Lucifer blinked when he came face to face with Sam Winchester, who was locked in a small cell. The hunter fell back, staring at him with horror. His horror struck green eyes turned to glare at his brother.  
"What the hell have you done Dean?! You released Lucifer and Michael? Are you insane?!" Sam snapped. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"  
Dean turned away from his brother and to the two archangels. "Come on. The next room over has what you were promised. Once we get you nice and comfy in your new vessels then we can begin."  
Sam reached out through the bars and grabbed his brother's arm. "DEAN!"  
Dean looked up at his brother, his eyes black. "I'm not deaf anymore Sam. I can hear just fine."  
"Then tell me why you're doing this!" Sam pleaded.  
"Like I said before Sammy." Dean said pulling away from his brother. "I'm doing this because I love you and all I want is for you to be happy. This is the only way. Someday you'll thank me for this."  
Turning Dean lead the two archangels into the next room leaving Sam alone with Fergus and Castiel. Castiel was watching Sam with sad eyes but hadn't said anything other then a whispered apology after locking him in the cell. Sam threw himself down on the camp bed and glared at the door the three had gone through. He should have known something wasn't right when Dean began talking sappy about love and family. He could only hope that Dean had been wrong and that Gabriel would wake up before they did whatever to him.  
"Sam."  
Sam turned his glare to Castiel. "I'm mad at you."  
The angel nodded. "I know."  
"I thought you were my friend Cas."  
Castiel gave him a small smile. "I am. What we are doing is not a bad thing Sam. We are doing this because it will make both you and Gabriel very happy. It's what you both deserve. Do you honestly think I would let this happen if any harm was going to come to you?"  
"You are still doing this without asking either of us if we want whatever this is." Sam said looking down. "I'm not sure I an forgive you for kidnaping me and knocking Gabe out."  
Castiel sighed. "Dean is already prepared for you to hate him. We did not spend all of our days going over the book. We spent most of it preparing for this. Dean and I most likely will not be allowed to return home with Gabriel and yourself. We've made peace with this Sam. All I ask is that you try not to make this harder then it needs to be."  
A bright light and loud ringing noise came from the next room over and it drew the hunter's attention. "What are they doing?"  
"Michael is getting a new vessel. One that was made just for him. Lucifer's vessel had been adjusted so that he can remain in the form he is currently in. Neither yourself or Dean are needed to be their vessels anymore." Castiel said softly. "Adam is also undergoing a change as well so that he can remain with his mates."  
Sam turned back to the dark haired angel. "His mates?"  
"Yes. Lucifer and Michael have become mates and they managed to find a third person that allows them to become a perfect fit. A Tri-Bond. It's not an uncommon thing." The angel said as the door opened and Adam walked out followed closely by Lucifer, in the repaired body of his former vessel Nick, and Michael, who was in a tall vessel with black hair and sea green eyes. Dean came out a few minutes later with a grin.  
"Again I can't thank you enough for this Dean." Michael said, reaching out and shaking his hand. "I don't know how you managed to convince our Father to do this but I am glad you did."  
Dean shook his head. "You can thank me by doing what I asked for please."  
Sam stood, his whole body tense as they looked his way.  
Lucifer frowned and looked back at Dean. "He seems upset."  
The hunter shrugged. "Considering that I knocked out his mate, abducted him, and am getting you to do this with asking him them yes. He's a bit upset."  
"So you've explained nothing to him then? That seems a bit dark even for me."  
The Nephilim glared at him. "You're the Devil for crying out loud. You set the bar for unmoral remember? Bite me."  
"Not any more. I'm back to being an archangel remember?" Lucifer said, reaching out to lock his fingers with Adam's while Michael sent him a smile. "I've seen the error of my ways and have finally found forgiveness for what I've done. Now I just need to make amends."  
"Starting with helping Gabriel keep the happiness he's found." Michael said. "I think giving our Little Brother one more apology won't hurt. Then the three of us can go home."  
Lucifer nodded. "Dean, I know it's a lot to ask but, do you mind getting your brother set up while Michael and I begin the ritual? We won't need him till the last part."  
The eldest Winchester nodded. "Yeah. I've got this handled. You guys go ahead."  
Adam hesitated. "Anything I can do to help?"  
"Normally I would say yes but not this time. Go ahead with them. Cas you go too. I need a moment with Sammy."  
Dean watched and Michael took Adam's other hand and began pulling his two mates along. Lucifer had a soft smile playing on his lips as his blue eyes were locked on the other two. Castiel followed them at a bit slower pace. When he got to the door the angel turned back to his mate, sending worry along their bond. Smiling he sent back a wave of comfort and love before giving him a small shove. He just needed a minute alone with his brother one last time. Once the door shut behind Castiel, Dean turned back to Sam, who was glaring at him again.  
"Do you remember the night you died?" Dean asked softly. "I do. It hurt so bad knowing that I failed to save you. I felt the same thing when you jumped into the Cage. I guess you felt the same thing with that crazy groundhog day that Gabe put you through and then watching those hell hounds rip me apart right in front of you."  
Sam's glare didn't lessen. "What does that have to do with anything?"  
Dean sighed. "Nothing Sammy. Don't worry about it." He threw a bag into the cell at his feet. "Strip and then put that on. And don't make me come in there and do it myself."  
Looking at the bag Sam thought back to what Castiel said about not making this harder on them. "Why should I?"  
"Because I want to spend my last few minutes with you pretending that you don't hate me." Dean said softly. "Now hurry up. They're waiting for us."  
With a sigh Sam stripped completely, dropping his clothes to the floor and opened the bag. He pulled out a simple piece of long linen that was designed to wrap around his waist. He gave Dean an odd look and he just shrugged. Knowing he had no other choice Sam put it on. His glare returned when his brother held out the handcuffs. He put his hands through the bars and let his brother cuff him once more. With a sad smile Dean opened the door and let him out, pulling him into a hug.  
"I love you Sammy."  
SSSSS  
Gabriel sat up slowly and his gold eyes sought the clock. He let out out sigh of relief, he'd only been out twelve hours. He smiled to himself; he had managed to kick his Grace into a healing state before he'd passed out. Getting up he noticed the card on the table. Opening it he found inside an address in Dean's hand writing. Crushing the card in his hand he appeared in his weapons room and grabbed his sword and a spare archangel blade. Feeling safer now that he was armed he spread his wings and flew to the address.  
When he landed he wasn't surprised to find that it was an abandoned mill. He idly wondered if Dean had gotten the idea from Crowley. Shaking his head he slipped through the shadows, carefully making his way inside. Gabriel froze the minute he set foot in the building. The amount of Grace in there shouldn't have been possible. Castiel was there, as was Dean and another seraph that he didn't recognize. What froze him was that he could feel both Michael and Lucifer in there. He spit out a curse as he remembered what Dean had said about being able to walk through walls. That idiot had released them!  
Heading deeper into the building he found a room where it was obvious that someone had been making a vessel, but for what? The next room was large and held a small cell it. Gabriel's heart flew into his throat when he saw the familiar clothes laying on the ground. Taking a moment, he looked them over, relieved to find no blood on them. A sudden surge of Grace had him looking up at the door and the end of the room. It seemed like everyone was in there.  
He rushed to the door and calmed himself before slowly pulling it open a crack. Gabriel's jaw dropped as he noticed a ritual circle. Michael was on one side and Lucifer was on the other. He saw a young man with blonde hair standing next to Castiel, both of whom were staring at the circle. His gold eyes went to the circle and his heart nearly stopped when he saw Sam floating there unconscious as tendrils of Lucifer and Michael's combined Grace slipped in and out of his mate's nearly nude body. Opening the door he pulled out his archangel blade and swung it at Lucifer's unprotected back.  
His blade slammed into another blade and Gabriel glared at the person protecting his older brother. "Get out of my way Dean."  
Dean shoved him back, his eyes turning black and the translucent wings appearing behind him once more. "How much longer?"  
"Six minutes." The blonde next to Castiel called out.  
"Thanks Adam." Dean said slipping into a crouch. "We have six minutes to play Gabriel. Let's make it a good fight."  
"Get out of the way Dean!" Gabriel snapped.  
Dean lunged and caught the archangel by the waist sending them tumbling back into the other room. "CAS! THE DOOR!"  
Gabriel caught a glimpse of Cas appearing by the door and slamming it shut before it began glowing with sealing sigils. There was no way in now. Twisting Gabriel released his wings, using them as leverage to throw the Nephilim off him. Getting to his feet he glared at the hunter.  
"After everything I did for you this is how you repay me Dean?" Gabriel asked. "You kidnap Sam and give him to the those two! You know what they did to me and yet you willingly give your brother to them? How can you trust them knowing what they are capable of?!"  
"I know this looks bad Gabe but I am doing this for you and Sam!" Dean said, holding his blade at ready. "I know what I'm doing."  
Gabriel let out a growl. "Family doesn't do this! Do you remember telling me that?"  
"I also remember you saying that sometimes we need to hurt those we love to save them." Dean said standing a bit straighter. "This is one of those times. I will not regret my actions."  
"I will never forgive you for this Dean. I will not forgive you for betraying Sam and me like this. As soon as I get my mate back I doubt either of us will want to see you again."  
Gabriel swung at Dean with his blade and the hunter ducked. Without thinking about it the angel threw a punch and it caught Dean right in the jaw, splitting his lip. The hunter was knocked on his ass as the angel held nothing back. Dean reached up and wiped away the blood. He started laughing and got to his feet.  
Dean picked up the blade he dropped and pointed it Gabriel. "I guess that this is the end of our relationship then Gabe. Just so you know...I'm going to miss you and Sammy. Good bye Dad."  
Gabriel frowned but then turned when he felt the sudden rush of Grace. It started building and building until finally it seems to reach it's peak. The Grace suddenly dissipated slightly before stabilizing. The seals on the door came down. With Dean forgotten, Gabriel rushed into the room, his blade drawn. He stopped short at the sight of Michael and Lucifer steading a now fully awake Sam.  
His blade fell from his numb fingers as he took the sight of the large bronze wings that were coming from his mate's back. He rushed over and wrapped his arms around his mate, barely paying attention as his brothers backed away to give them room. Gabriel was shocked to realize the other Grace he was sensing was coming from Sam.  
"Sam. Are you-"  
"I'm okay." Sam said, sounding tired. "They made me into an archangel. I'm not human anymore. I'm like you."  
Gabriel turned to look at his brothers. "I don't understand."  
Lucifer smiled. "Our gift to you. Now you won't have to worry about old age claiming him. We did this with our Father's permission. A lot has happened Little Brother. My punishment is over. Michael and I are free. I can return to heaven with my mates. You don't have to hide anymore."  
"Mates?" Gabriel asked numbly.  
Michael nodded. "Lucifer, Adam, and I. We're mates. We did this for you Gabriel. We want you to be happy. Dean wanted to turn Sam into a Nephilim but there can be only one at a time so Father said that he would let Sam become an archangel as long as Dean continued to be a hunter."  
Gabriel turned back to Sam who was grinning at him. "Sam I...I don't know what to say. I thought...I was so scared but now..."  
"I'm okay." Sam said softly, he was so tired from the change. "We just have Dean to thank for this. Along with your brothers."  
That had Gabriel's head snapping up having forgotten about Dean. He turned to look for the hunter but realized that he was no where to be seen. Taking a moment he realized that not only was Dean missing but so was Castiel. They both must have fled when the seal came down and Gabriel was checking on Sam. With a heavy heart he recalled what he said to Dean.  
"I don't think we'll get the chance to thank Dean or Castiel." Gabriel said softly. "They both left. I told Dean...I didn't know... I was so scared and angry that..."  
Sam picked up on what happened and he pulled Gabriel tight to his chest. "It's okay. Dean knows you didn't mean it Gabe. They'll come back once they think we've cooled down."  
Michael stepped forward. "Take him home Little Brother. Your mate needs his rest. We'll stop by tomorrow to check you if you'll allow us."  
Gabriel nodded. "Michael...Lucifer...Thank you. I'm not saying that I forgive you. It'll take a long time before I am ready to do that but..."  
"Later Little One." Lucifer said softly. "For now go home. You've both been through a lot. Tomorrow we will talk."  
Gabriel nodded and heard the rustling of wings, signifying their departure. Gabriel held tightly onto Sam, not wanting to believe that this was real. He wouldn't lose his mate. His brothers were free and wanted to be in his life. He'd just banished his adopted son and his mate had gone with him. Sam sent wave after wave of love and reassurance to him. Dean and Castiel wouldn't be gone long. Just a few days at most. Then they could go back to being a family once more. Nodding into his mate's chest Gabriel opened his wings and returned them home to heal and wait for their family to be whole once more.


	12. Homecoming

**Chapter 12: Homecoming**

Gabriel quickly pulled the long blonde hair in his hands back into a braid and quickly secured it with a hair tie. The seven year old girl turned, her sea green eyes sparkling as she gave him a big hug and kiss before running off to join her cousin and older brothers. He watched her go from his place on the large porch of his house. She ran down to meet the twelve year old black haired boy with blue eyes and his own children, a ten year old son, a boy with Sam's brown hair and his own gold eyes, and Razael, who was watching over them as they played down by the ocean.  
"I still don't know you manage to do that so quick." Adam said, watching his daughter Dina hug her older brother Jophiel, who belonged to Michael. "It takes me forever to braid her hair and that's with Lucifer helping me."  
Gabriel chuckled and picked up his brush again and began working on Michael's much longer hair. "I've had plenty of practice. I used to take care of the younger angels before I left heaven."  
"Yes and your lesser known title of Angel of Pregnancies has nothing to do with it then?" Michael asked only to yelp as Gabriel pulled on his hair in retaliation. "That hurt Gabby."  
"Well then maybe it will teach you to keep your mouth shut am I right Mikey?" Gabriel said giving his older brother's hair the same treatment before releasing him. "There. Done. Tell me again why you let your hair get this long?"  
"I think he believes he's Sampson again." Lucifer said coming out with a tray of drinks. "Either that or he's getting tired of women asking him if he's single."  
Sam chuckled as he sat down the tray of snacks, having followed Lucifer out. "He's got that problem too then? I had a woman ask me to marry her in the grocery store the other day because apparently I make an excellent stay at home dad."  
"And how did you react Gabriel?" Lucifer asked, curious about his younger brother's reaction ever since finding out about his Trickster persona.  
Gabriel gave him a smirk. "What do you think I did? I grabbed Sam and kissed him in front of the entire store and told her that yes he makes an excellent stay at home dad and that she should lay off my husband and go find her own. She almost turned purple and stormed off."  
"I'm surprised you didn't smite her." Lucifer admitted.  
"Why would I do that when she suddenly found herself with her car getting towed, begin severed with court papers, her ex calling her up to tell her to get tested for chalmydia..." Gabriel said trailing off with a smile. "She seemed to have a really bad day after meeting me."  
"I'm glad you found a better outlet for yours pranks." Lucifer said with a smile.  
"Mom! When's dinner?"  
Gabriel turned to look at his youngest son. "You can have some snacks. Your Dad just brought some out. Dinner isn't till a bit later okay Tabbris?"  
The boy nodded and grabbed a handful of carrots and went to rejoin his brother and cousins. "Okay Mom. Thanks Dad!"  
Gabriel watched him go with a sigh. It was hard to believe that more then fifteen years had passed since he'd gotten his family back. Michael, Lucifer and Adam had quickly become permanent fixtures in their lives, even more so after their first child, Jophiel was born. As it was Michael had been so scared when Lucifer had gone into labor that he had showed up at two in the morning to get him saying that he didn't trust the other healers with either Lucifer or their unborn child.  
As it had been such a rough birth, both Sam and himself had stuck around to ensure that Lucifer was back on his feet in a few days. That had turned into Gabriel helping Lucifer learn what it meant to be a mother, something he had experience with when he had Razael. After that it became common for the three mates to show up whenever they had questions. Then when Gabriel had Tabbris, it had been Lucifer who had helped him through because damn it all if he hadn't gone into an early labor with Tabbris in a breach position. Gabriel had torn and bled like mad until Lucifer and Michael had been able to heal him. Gabriel had their children to thank for his family coming back together.  
It still wasn't enough though. There were two others that should be here that hadn't come back. Despite calling, summoning, scrying, and searching, it had seemed almost as if Dean and Castiel had vanished without trace. It hurt all of them to know that neither of them seemed interested in coming back. Gabriel blamed himself for it but Dean had been right. He was thankful for the eldest Winchester doing what he did. Now if only he would come home so he could tell him that.  
"Stop that Gabe. This is no place for that." Sam said softly, coming to stand behind is mate and running his fingers through his hair. "We just have to believe that they'll come back some day. They can't stay away forever."  
"I told him that I would never forgive him for what did." Gabriel said. "I may as well have told him to never come back. I can't help but blame myself."  
"So does that mean you're ready to forgive them?" Michael asked suddenly.  
Sam nodded. "Gabriel wanted to forgive them when he found out about Tabbris. He wanted Dean and Cas to be here for the birth of our first child. That was why we tried everything we could during that time to find them. After that we just... It's not that we gave up. We just knew that they didn't want to be found by us."  
Lucifer sighed and turned to look at Michael, who nodded. Lucifer reached over and nudged Adam, passing him a slim black cell blonde took it with a grin, sliding it up his sleeve while Gabriel and Sam weren't looking. Taking a big drink of his beer he stood and stretched. Michael turned to look at him as he headed inside.  
"Adam where are you going?" Michael asked.  
"I just need to go to the bathroom Mike. I promise nothing will attack me between here and the bathroom. Just sit down and watch our kids." Adam said with a grin, before turning to Gabriel. "He is so over protective. How did you stand it?"  
Gabriel grinned. "I was able to stand him because he could never make me do anything."  
"I still can't make you do anything!" Michael snapped.  
"Don't feel bad." Sam said. "Neither can I."  
Adam grinned and snuck off. He went past the bathroom and towards the front of the house. He double checked to make sure that he wasn't followed before heading out to the front porch. Going outside he sat down on the steps and opened the phone Lucifer had given him. There was only one number in the phone and there wasn't even a name to go with it. Smiling at the phone he opened the messages that were filled with pictures of their family and typed in two words before hitting send.  
^They're ready.^  
Closing the phone Adam slid it into his pants before turning and heading back to join his family.  
SSSSS  
Gabriel frowned as he heard the doorbell ring for his house. Hell he'd forgotten he even had a doorbell because it was never used. Setting aside the plate of food he turned to see Sam giving him the same look but from his place in the kitchen he could see the other three in the living room start smiling. His frown increasing, Gabriel headed for the door followed closely by Sam. Opening the door, they were shocked into silence by the sight of a very familiar dark haired, over coat wearing angel who was carrying a small infant that couldn't be more then a week old.  
Castiel gave them a shy smile. "Hello Gabriel, Sam. I just wanted..." The angel trailed off and suddenly looked very unsure of himself. "If this is a bad time I can come back another day. I can see that you are having a family gathering."  
If it wasn't for the baby he was holding Gabriel would have smacked his younger brother hard enough to send him into the next state. "Yes it is a family gathering and in case you've forgotten since you've been away for so long, it's a family that you are a part of."  
Castiel broke into a blinding smile and leaned down and gave Gabriel an awkward hug due to the little one he was carrying. Sam was much easier since the taller had just wrapped his arms around the two of them. Gabriel noticed the baby bag by Cas's feet and grabbed it before stepping aside to let his younger brother in. Castiel smiled and made his way into the house before heading into the living room. With a smile Gabriel motioned him to his chair and Castiel took it with a smile and the bag was set down next to him.  
"Thank you Gabriel. I know my appearance is sudden but-"  
"Cassie I could care less how sudden this is. I'm just glad you're here. We've been trying to find you for years." Gabriel said. "I never thought I would see you again. You have no idea just how happy you've made me."  
Castiel gave him a blinding smile. "I've missed you as well."  
The baby gave a little whimper and Castiel's attention went straight towards quieting the little one, softly whispering in Enochian to the baby. The little one began to calm once more and Castiel smiled before turning back to his family with a blush.  
"I apologize. This is his first trip out since he was born." Castiel said. "I wasn't sure how he would take to traveling but he seems to enjoy it so far."  
"May I?" Gabriel asked, eager to meet his new nephew.  
Castiel nodded and handed over the little one. Without even thinking about it Gabriel let his Grace wash over the baby in a soothing wave. The little one responded with a happy noise. The archangel took in the black hair with brown streaks in it and wondered if the baby's eyes were green or blue. He was about to ask when he noticed something unusual about the baby.  
"He was born premature but I can tell he's very healthy." Gabriel said looking up at Castiel. "How much was he early by?"  
"Just a little under a month but it was hard the whole way through." The angel admitted. "I thought we'd lost him twice during the first four months."  
Sam came over to look over his mate's shoulder at the infant. "He's so tiny. What's his name and how old is he?"  
"We decided on Micah because he was such a miracle. He's only six days old." Castiel said. "He will also be our only child."  
"Why didn't you come to me Cassie?" Gabriel asked. "I could have helped you."  
"I really wanted to but I couldn't seeing as I am not his mother. I'm his father." Castiel said with a blush. "I found out that I can't have children. Not after losing most of my Grace when I began to Fall. My Grace won't support a child."  
Sam's head snapped up at that. "You mean-"  
"Yes. That was what made it so hard." Castiel admitted. "His body was never meant for it."  
"So where is he?" Gabriel asked, finally addressing the elephant in the room. "Where's Dean?"  
With a sigh Castiel reached for his son and Gabriel handed him over without a fuss. "He wasn't sure how welcome he would be so he made sure we arrived safely before going to finish his hunt. I told him it was a bit soon to return to hunting but he said he needed to clear his head. He'll be back soon."  
"I hope so." Sam said. "Are you sure he's okay?"  
Castiel nodded. "He's fine. Just a simple salt and burn. He shouldn't be more then an hour."  
Gabriel smiled down at the now sleeping Micah. "Why don't we take Micah upstairs to the nursery? That way he can sleep and we can talk. I have a baby monitor that we can watch him through."  
Castiel nodded and followed his brother upstairs. He was a bit surprised to see that the nursery was already set up and ready to go. Giving his brother a glare Gabriel explained that Lucifer told him that he was expecting once more so he made the room available. Apologizing Castiel laid his son down and the two angels returned to the party.  
It took Castiel a bit of time before he warmed up to his two oldest brothers but he was soon deep in conversation with Michael about angelic artifacts with Lucifer jumping in about some of the ones they had actually used in battle. Watching Castiel interact with everyone else made Gabriel feel like their years apart never happened. Now if only the last member of their family would appear. And speaking of the blonde archangel reached down and turned off the baby monitor before slowly slipping away unnoticed to the nursery upstairs.  
As he climbed the stairs he thought of a million different things he could say but none of them seemed right. To be honest Gabriel wasn't even sure that there really was anything he could say to make things right. Stopping by the door he could hear a soft singing coming from inside. He turned the handle slowly willing it not to make a sound. As quietly as he could he slipped inside to room, gold eyes trained on the man holding Micah.  
"Hello Dean." Gabriel said, his voice barely a whisper.  
The man stiffened and very carefully placed his son back into the crib before turning to face him. Gabriel's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the hunter. Dean looked like he had lost weight. He was pale and there were bags under his eyes. He looked run down. There was just no other way for Gabriel to describe it. Dean looked like he could use a few good meals and a couple nights of uninterrupted sleep.  
"Take a picture. It'll last longer." Dean said looking at the floor. "Sorry for disturbing you. I just wanted to say good night to Micah before I headed to bed."  
"You look like you could use a shower and a few good meals." Gabriel said. "Both of which you can find here. There's also plenty of beds for you to use."  
Dean looked away before looking back up his pained green eyes locking with warm gold. "I wasn't really planning on staying. It's why I left Cas and Micah here. We didn't exactly part on the best of terms after what I did."  
"I figured as much when you weren't at Cassie's side when he showed up with Micah." Gabriel admitted. "I was expecting you to only stay away for a few days not years. I kept hoping you'd come back. I wanted to go find you a while ago Dean but then things got hectic with the kids.  
"I wanted-No. I needed to tell you that you were right. I may have hated you then but I am very glad now that you did what you did for me. For us. I don't think I've ever been this happy. I owe you so much Dean. I still don't know how I'll ever repay you."  
Dean gave him a weak smile. "I'm just glad you're happy now Gabe. You and Sammy. It's all I ever really wanted."  
"There is only one thing now that would make our happiness even better. Do you know what would do that?" Gabriel asked, taking a step closer to the hunter.  
Dean swallowed but stood his ground; he was waiting for the angel to strike him for what he did and he wasn't going to back down. "Seeing me get knocked on my ass with a fat lip?"  
Gabriel reached out and pulled the hunter into a hug despite his flinch at the gentle touch. "The only thing that would make us happier is if you and Castiel would come back home to us. We miss you. Please come home."  
He felt a sob break free from the body he was holding. Gabriel held on tighter even as those sobs increased. He felt someone else come into the room and two more pairs of arms joined the hug. It didn't take long for the hunter to stop crying and he pulled back from the angel only to get enveloped in a bone crushing hug by Sam. The youngest was whispering softly to his brother, sounding both angry and relieved at him. Castiel stood by his mate, watching the reunion with a smile.  
Sam pulled back from the hug drying his tears. "Don't you ever run off like that again Dean."  
Dean gave him a tired smile as he wiped away his own tears. "I think I'm done running for now. Promise. I'll stay if you want me too."  
"We do. There's some people you need to meet." Sam said. "You've missed a lot."  
Dean nodded and let his brother pull him downstairs where Lucifer, Michael, and Adam were waiting with the kids. Sam pushed him down on the couch where he collapsed gratefully. He didn't want to admit that he was exhausted but he pushed it away and put a smile on his face when Sam brought a little boy over to him.  
"And who is this?" Dean asked, taking in the messy brown hair and gold eyes, the pictures that he had been sent by Michael, Lucifer and Adam not doing the boy any justice.  
Sam smiled. "Tabbris, this is your Uncle Dean. Dean, This is my son Tabbris. He's ten."  
Tabbris pouted and Dean chuckled at the puppy eyes he had. "Dad I'm turning eleven in two months. I'm almost an adult now!"  
"Sure you are Kiddo." Dean said ruffling his hair. "You certainly do take after your Dad."  
Tabbris turned his shining gold eyes on his uncle. "Really Uncle Dean?"  
"Yeah. Sammy can't deny you."  
Sam grinned and turned to point at the last two children. "This brat is Jophiel. He's Michael and Lucifer's son. He's also a trouble maker."  
Jophiel gave him a grin that definitely belonged to Lucifer. "You're only in trouble if you get caught! Right Uncle Gabriel?"  
Michael let out a frustrated noise and buried his face in his hands. "Gabriel you are a terrible influence on my son!"  
Gabriel just shrugged with a grin. "Someone needs to be."  
With a chuckle Sam turned to the little girl who was in Adam's lap. "And this little Princess is Dina. She's Adam's daughter."  
Dean smiled at her and with a wave of his hand suddenly had a yellow daffodil in his hand and he passed it to Dina. "You can't greet a princess with giving her flowers."  
Dina flushed and gave Dean a whispered 'Thank you' before hiding her face in Adam's shirt.  
Dean chuckled. "She's cute."  
Adam hugged her close. "She's also very shy. The only people she really opens up too are Jophiel and Razael whenever he's around."  
"Of course. They're her big brothers." Dean said. "If it makes you feel better, Sammy was shy like that so you can say it runs in the family."  
A sudden cry spilt the air and Dean jerked looking towards the stairs. He closed his eyes before he shimmered and vanished. A few seconds later he came walking down the stairs with a whimpering Micah held close to his chest. Castiel, who had gone into the kitchen when he heard the cry, met Dean at the foot of the stairs with a bottle. The hunter took it and moved to his seat once more and gave the infant the bottle. Dina pulled away and went to stand next to Dean, looking down at Micah.  
"He's tiny. Aren't you afraid you'll hurt him?" She asked softly.  
Dean gave her a smile. "I was at first. Now I'm not."  
Dina turned and went over to Lucifer putting a hand on his stomach. "Mom is my new brother or sister going to be that small?"  
Lucifer shook his head. "No. Micah was born before he was supposed to so he's a lot smaller."  
Gabriel smiled as he watched his family. With a blinding smile Dean waved him over. Curious as to what he wanted, Gabriel strode over. Micah was drinking but his eyes were open and he was staring up at his parents. When Gabriel came into his line of sight those eyes turned to him and the sight made him break into a smile.  
"I'll be damned. He's got heterochromia iridium. You can never do just one thing can you Dean?" Gabriel asked, staring at Micah. "You always have to be different."  
Castiel smiled. "He's the perfect mix of Dean and myself."  
Tabbris made a face and looked at his mom. "What's hetta-hecta-"  
"Heterochromia iridium." Gabriel said. "It just means that your cousin here has two different colored eyes. One blue and one green."  
That had everyone moving to take a look. Sure enough Micah was looking around with a bicolor gaze. Dean smiled as he felt Gabriel's hand come to rest on his shoulder and Sam's coming to rest on his back. Looking around at the people gathered there Dean couldn't help but feel complete. After all this time they were back with their family and it had almost tripled in size. Castiel leaned closer and gave Dean a kiss on his cheek, feeling their bond thrum with happiness and contentment, something that had been missing since they'd left.  
Dean smiled and turned his gaze back to his son. "Hey you. I see you looking around, I want you to meet your family. Welcome home, Micah Gabriel Winchester."


	13. A Bright Future

**Epilogue: A Bright Future**

Gabriel watched as Dean slept soundly, having fallen asleep on the couch with Micah on his chest. He smiled as he watched Sam go over and pick up the quietly whimpering baby so his brother could rest. Dean made an excellent mother but for some reason he didn't seem to understand the concept of asking for help. Instead the hunter tried to shoulder the burden of caring for Micah by himself even though he had his mate and family to help. In fact it was rare to see Dean without his son, which would explain why Sam was now stealing his nephew away.  
He watched as Sam and Tabbris sat on the other couch, with the youngest Winchester gently rocking the baby. Tabbris had been entranced by his new cousin and hardly ever left his side when he was awake. Micah let out a slightly louder whine and Sam stood again and began heading upstairs for a changing. Tabbris trailed after them and it made Gabriel wonder if his son was trying convince Sam to let him have another child.  
When Gabriel had gone into labor a week early, he had been very lucky that both of his older brothers had been there at the time. Tabbris had breached and he had torn and began bleeding. Sam had panicked at the amount of blood he was losing, fearing for both his mate and child. Lucifer and Michael had managed to get the situation under control quickly enough but the whole thing had left Sam shaken. Since then Sam had refused to talk about having any more children but with Dean bringing Micah home he hoped that maybe Tabbris would be able to help convince Sam that having another child wouldn't be such a bad thing.  
Dean shifted and his hand went to his chest. Panicked green eyes opened and he looked around frantically. Gabriel got his attention and pointed to the baby monitor where it showed Sam and Tabbris getting Micah into a new diaper and outfit. Seeing that his son was safe, the eldest Winchester laid back down on the couch, his eyes closing once more. Concern growing in him, Gabriel went over and kneeled down next to him.  
"You okay?" Gabriel asked taking in the pale complexion and the bags that were still under his eyes despite having been home for more then a week now.  
"Yeah. Just tired." Dean muttered.  
"You know you have us now to help with Micah." Gabriel said placing a hand on his adopted son's head and feeling the heat that was there. "You don't have to do everything on your own."  
Dean was quiet for a few moments before he turned to look at him. "I'm just scared of losing him. I don't know if Cas told you but we almost lost him twice before he was even born. I had never been so scared in my whole life."  
"You could have come to me." Gabriel admitted. "My calling is healing too remember? I could have helped keep you stable."  
Dean shook his head, his eyes closing. "I wasn't sure if you were still mad at me or not. I did't think I could have taken it if you had turned me away. As if was I was told by both your brothers and both of mine that I didn't need any more stress. So I didn't want to risk it."  
"Wait who told you that?" The blonde asked confused.  
"Michael, Lucifer, Adam, and Razael. We stayed in contact with them. We had a cell phone they could call us on and send messages to but they didn't know where we were. We never stayed in one place for very long. We only started doing that when I found out that I was carrying Micah." Dean whispered. "There was only one person who knew where we were at all times and no one ever thought to call him. Chuck is a good guy. Practically God in my books. "  
Gabriel shook his head. "Dean..."  
"It was the only reason I was able to stay away so long. Your brothers would send me pictures every time you guys had a party. And I got the first picture of Tabbris too." Dean said with a grin. "You scared poor Michael and Sam almost to death though."  
"Blame Tabbris." Gabriel said as he carefully poked at the hunter with his Grace. "Who healed you after you had Micah?"  
"I think Cas did some of it but we were too worried about Micah to care about me."  
"I can tell." Gabriel said. "It's no wonder you're so tired. You have a small tear that you both missed healing and an infection. I'm surprised you even have the strength to take care of yourself much less Micah."  
Dean let out a low moan as the warmth of angelic healing rushed through him, leaving him feeling so much better. He gave Gabriel a grateful smile and the angel kissed the top of his head as he stood. Sitting up Dean was greeted with the sight of Castiel returning from his visit to Michael. He smiled at seeing his mate up but frowned when he didn't see his son.  
"Is Micah sleeping?" Castiel asked.  
"Nope." Sam said coming down the stairs with the cooing baby. "We just need a quick change. Micah your Daddy is home."  
Castiel came forward and took his son, with a smile. "Hello Micah. Were you good for your mother and uncles while I was gone?"  
Micah made a little noise followed by a little burp that had the angel laughing.  
"Is that right?" Castiel said sitting down next to Dean. "Well it sure sounds like you had a hard day sleeping and eating."  
Dean chuckled and reached out and let Micah wrap his little hand around his pinky. "Hey Cas do you feel like watching Micah while I go shower? I feel better now that Gabe healed me. We were so worried about this little guy that we never checked me over again."  
Castiel frowned, suddenly worried about what they could have missed. "Are you alright?"  
Dean gave him a kiss. "I'm fine now. I just want to go get a shower. Think you can keep an eye on this little angel?"  
The dark haired angel broke into a big grin. "I'd love to. Thank you."  
Th brunette kissed him again. "You say that now. Wait until I let you take over watching him at night. I guess it won't bug you too much since you don't really need sleep huh?"  
Castiel nodded. "That was why I suggested it in the first place."  
With a grin Dean stood and went to go shower. Castiel watched him go before turning back to his son. Miach was looking up at him with sleepy eyes. With a smile Castiel began to sing to his son, it was an old tune in Enochian that he remembered Gabriel singing to him as a fledgling. His smile grew as he heard Gabriel join in and within moments his son was sleeping peacefully in his arms. He let the song fade out and stared down at his sleeping son with wonder.  
"I'm proud of you Castiel." Gabriel said suddenly.  
Looking up he met the gold eyes of his brother. "I don't know why."  
"I'm proud of the person you've become. Not many could endure what you did and still come out this good."  
"The same could be said of you Gabriel. You finally managed to get what you always wanted, perhaps even more since you can include Lucifer and Michael as well. A family."  
Gabriel came to sit next to him looking down at the baby before his eyes drifted to outside where Sam had taken Tabbris to play. "Yeah I did. You know there is a bright future ahead of us. I'm just glad I get to share it with all of you."


End file.
